Chapter 50: Fullmetal Wizard | Chapter 50
Title: Part 2. Hostel ErrandsMuggle side.
Once his feet hit the walkway below the ladder, Ed once again grabbed the flashlight and gave the sewers a good look.
'Smaller that I thought they'd be' he thought.
It looked much like a small corridor. There were pipes of course, as wide as his hand running along what passed as a ceiling. The walls were a mixture of old brick and concrete. The air was moist and warm. The walkway below his feet was split in the center, letting the dark water flow freely. Ed noted the direction of its flow.
'Wouldn't do to get lost, now would it, Fullmetal.' He heard in his head. The annoying voice of the Colonel Bastard himself, though he was a world away now. Ed smirked, then frowned. Not wanting the feelings that came with the thought at the moment. He had a task to do, which came first. He shut it away within himself, turned, and headed in the direction of the hostel. In a few steps, he once again hooked the flashlight to his belt, light pointed upwards, freeing his hands.
"Wotcher." Ed heard behind him. "Oy Ed...Wait up." Ed rolled his eyes, and turned his head, slowing to a stop with great reluctance.
In the dim light, he saw the Tonks woman climb down the ladder, and jump to the walkway below. She teetered dangerously, nearly falling into the churning black water, but managed to catch her balance just in time. Her hair changed color before his eyes to a neon yellow. She reached within her jacket for something, as she looked about her. Ed saw but the tip.
"No sticks." He said.
"What?"
"I feel if dey are pointed at me." Ed said, "I need to know for certain de vhere they are. Understand?"
"No."
Ed sighed. And blinked.
"Your sticks..dey feel much like vhat I do. I know when such tings are..um..active..to be keeping me safe when I am using dem." Ed watched her face, and saw just confusion. "Tch. Dis not vworking. I do not have vords...and you vill not be understanding."
"How about if I make sure I don't point it at you?" Tonks said, and she took a few steps closer to Ed.
Ed narrowed his eyes. "Try. Let me see."
Tonks took out her wand fully into her hand and pointed it at the wall. "Lumos." He saw she whispered. He could not hear her over the sound of the water. The tip glowed brightly in the darkness.
Ed closed his eyes and focused inwards. Feeling the flow of energy in the air..the hum of it within his chest. Moments passed. He shook his head.
"Hard to put in vords. Should be fine...I should being able to tell." Ed opened his eyes, turned, and walked. Tonks fell in just behind him, judging by the feel of the wand in his chest. "Maybe you can explain dis to me. Wvhy don't dey use guns?"
"Guns? What are those?"
Ed glanced back and gave her a hard look. 'Are you serious that you DON'T know about guns?', he thought while examining her expression. Her face, though, appeared to be genuinely curious, like it was an honest question. He blinked, and looked forward.
"Common wveapons. Used when meaning to kill."
"You think wands...are weapons?"
Ed snorted in contempt.
"Pleeease..I vould not be in dis sewer if I did not. KNOW. For certain. They are veapons. "
'So..they greatly prefer wands to guns. This makes this both easier and harder. If they are like arrays..who knows what they can do.' he thought.
For the next several moments, there was no conversation. The only sounds were that of their footsteps, and the running water. Ed turned at a junction, and...
'Footsteps...'
Ed stopped, and turned his head.
"Wha.."
Ed help up a gloved hand to keep her quiet, and narrowed his eyes. Then he glanced back. After a moment, he then turned completely around, and watched the narrow walls around them. Tonks looked bewildered.
"You are having mass that is not visible?" Ed asked, after a few moments.
Her eyebrows lowered and she frowned. Her hair changed colors, to brilliant red, and she folded her arms. She tapped her wand firmly against one arm.
Ed snorted. 'Women..!' He thought.
"De shadows around you are...veird. I vas also hearing extra footsteps just now."
Tonks narrowed her eyes.
"Between You. and Moody, I swear...!" She growled. "How much further?"
Harry took a step forward to join Ed, but felt a pair of hammy hands on his shoulders.
'No Harry.' Moody whispered ever so softly. Harry scowled. Hermione and Ron both looked at him and frowned. Had they heard Moody, too?
Harry then saw Ed hook the flashlight on his belt, and descend into the darkness below.
"Tonks.." Moody called softly, and Harry saw a disembodied hand with a wand in it from the corner of his eye. There was the barest of wand flicks, then rest of Moody emerged, his grey hair mussed slightly from being beneath the invisibility cloak.
"Keep a close eye on him. Dumbledore'll want a full report." Harry saw Moody's blue eye spin wildly in it's socket. "Better hurry, or you'll get left behind. He's halfway down the passage, now."
"Uh..sure." Tonks blinked, and looked over at Moody. "Report?"
"Later. Get going."
She nodded and climbed down, hair shifting to a greenish tinge as she went into the darker darkness below.
"Is he right? I mean, are there obliviators there waiting for him?" Harry asked.
Moody finished up folding his invisibility cloak and placed in a pocket of his coat.
"No." Moody said. "There's Aurors. I saw 4. One of 'em I know isn't all that friendly when it comes to Muggles."
"You're going to let him walk right into that?" Hermione all but shouted. "but that's..!"
"Kid didn't ask for help. From what I saw, he can handle himself."
"Moody..." Lupin began. "...He didn't even know you were there..."
"Is that surprising? My cloak IS a good one, Lupin."
Moody walked over to the manhole cover, bent, and took a firm hold of the latch with one hand. By the strained look on his face, and the tremors that shook his entire body, Harry guessed the man was trying to lift it, much like Ed had easily done moments before. Lupin tilted his head and looked on. After a few moments, Moody let out a disgusted breath.
"Some arm he's got.." Moody shook his head slightly.
"Is that a bit of jealousy I hear..?" Lupin said, and bent to try lifting the cover as well. He soon found that the best he could do was a few bare centimeters, with both hands on the latch.
"Hardly. Just don't trust 'im."
Both wizards stood up then and flicked their wands. "Locomotor cover" both said, nearly as one. Ever so slowly, like the magic itself thought it far too heavy as well, the cover moved back into its place with the tangy sound of metal scraping against metal.
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