Fullmetal Alchemist: Life in Europe
Based on the bestselling manga by Hiromu Arakawa and the Bestselling Series, Harry Potter, by JK Rowling
London: 1924
Alphonse could barely hold in his impatience as he sat at his bedroom window in their second story apartment. He was waiting for the arrival of his brother. He and his brother Ed had been moving from place to place, searching for a weapon that had managed to pass from their world into ours, finally tracking it down and dismantling it. Al was jolted out of his daydreams by a horn from below, seeing Edward standing next to the open door of a London cab. He sprung from the windowsill, and grabbed his suitcase, ran down the stairs, shouted a farewell at their landlady, and nearly collided with his brother in the doorway.
“Ed! What took you so long?” Al whined as his brother loaded his and Al’s suitcases into the boot.
“Sorry, my interview took longer than expected, but I got it! I finally got a job where we can keep doing what we love.” “Alchemy?” Ed’s nodded confirmation was all it took for Al to break down in tears of joy, nearly smothering his older, if shorter brother, in a gargantuan hug.
Waterloo Station: 1100 Hrs
Al stared in awe at the giant crimson steam locomotive, bearing the name Hogwarts Express in gold lettering on the wind guards on either side of the engine. Al and Ed had had to run to catch the train before it pulled out, but they were used to it, due to them doing it all the time back in their home world of Amestris. They selected an empty compartment and settled in for the long journey to their new home: The Hogwarts Academy for Magically Gifted Adolescents. Al stared out the window, making note of all the unique features of the landscape. The way the land rose and fell, the species of trees, the shape of an island in the middle of a loch, what was actually on the island itself…. Soon, Al had fallen asleep, and Ed was soon going through his brother’s small notebook and his notes on Alchemy, transmutation and transfiguration. However, Ed encountered something that he would have never anticipated. There, on the last page of the book, was a photo, of Ed, Al, Winry, Roy, Riza, and their youngest sibling, Alexander, barely 6 months old when the picture was taken, in front of Winry’s Automail shop. Essentially, their entire family was there. Their adoptive parents Roy and Riza, their son Alexander, Ed’s wife Winry, and the brothers, Ed and Al. Ed could feel the tears welling in his eyes. As he looked out the window and towards their destination, the tears started to fall and soon, he too was fast asleep.
Hogsmeade Station: 1900 Hrs
“(Yawns) I sure am glad to be able to move around again. I forgot just how bumpy train travel was.” Al moaned as he stepped off the train and onto the platform. “Me too. Just how long were we on that train for Al?”
“About uhh… 8 hrs. Wow. At least we got some good snooze time, ehh bro?” “We sure did Al, we sure did. Now, all we have to do is get to the great hall, eat some chow, and settle in to our quarters.
Several hours later, Headmaster Warren Salamance was introducing the new staff to the students. “Also, we have here the privilege to introduce and welcome into our family, Edward Elric and his brother, Alphonse. They will be taking over for Mr. Flamel in teaching the study of Alchemy, until Mr. Flamel at some point manages to overcome his health problems. Curfew is in 2 hours. Feel free to ask Mr. Elric anything that comes to mind.” After Mr. Salamance disappeared, Ed was accosted from all sides by students, asking him where he lived, why he came here, what he can do, can he make gold, until a small girls question broke through the noise.
“Can you bring people back to life?” Ed looked around for the source of the question. He saw a young girl, a first-year, clutching a small red raccoon like creature. Her eyes shone with light and death as she stared hard at Ed.
“No, that I can’t. Life flows in one direction, kid. People aren’t meant to be brought back from the dead. We know that firsthand. To receive, you must give something of equal value. That is the law of Equivalent exchange, but what could be worth a human soul? Are you prepared to pay the price?”
The girl just stood there and stared at Ed. They held the tension for a minute or two. Then Al led his brother up the stairs to their quarters. After his brother went to sleep, Al, not used to the idea of sleep, stayed up and drew transmutation circles till his eyes drooped and he slumped forward in his chair.
The next morning, Ed and Al went down to their classroom early, to set up a demonstration for their students. While Ed moved desks, Al used his newfound Alchemical knowledge to draw an intricate array on the ground. The circle comprised of a diamond and four lightning bolts inside of a circle, which was all inside of another circle. As the students started filing in, Ed made note of every face in the class. He wasn’t surprised to see the girl from before standing in the front of the class, holding the same strange raccoon animal.
“Welcome to Alchemy 101. In this class, you will learn the basics behind alchemy, and by extension, the universe. But first, a little demonstration.” He placed a broken desk in the middle of the array, placed his hands on the outermost circle, concentrated, and in a flash of green light, the desk was fixed. “That is called transmutation. Now, I realize that to you alchemy is a big thing, but there are rules you must follow. Rule 1, no creating gold. If you do, I’ll see to it that you never graduate. Rule 2, no transmuting humans. This includes bonding them to armour, creating life with humans, and absolutely no bringing people back from the dead. My brother and I made that mistake, and I lost my right arm and left leg and had to have them replaced with prosthetics, while Al here was turned into a soul, wandering around till I could get him his body back. Commit any of these acts, and I will see to it that you never see the light of day again. Any questions? Good. Let’s get started. Everyone, please open your notebooks to a blank page and write down everything you hear. There will be an exam on this at the end of the week.” As Ed continued on, rattling off the rules of Equivalent Exchange, Conservation of Mass, and so on, he noticed the girl eagerly taking down notes. He smirked to himself. This was going to be a great place to live.