"Tch. The pipes go straight through. No good." Ed said in Amestrian, and placed the hand to the curved wall on his right. He didn't bother with the left. That would only lead back to the sewers. He clapped his hands again. And slammed them against the curved wall. Blue light flashed. The wall reformed into yet another curved tunnel with the force of the equation in his mind and his will, this one only about a meter deep. He put his bare hand on the curved ceiling, and focused once more. At length he nodded, clapped his hands together, and gently touched the ceiling, keeping his fingers splayed, adjusting the equation as he went.
'Careful. careful...that gas line is..ah..there it is..'Ed thought, and with about a foot to go, stopped, dropping some of the extra material as a ladder for himself to climb up on. Then he felt it.
The distinctive hum of an active array...deep in his chest. He let go of the first rung in a quick smooth motion and entered his fight stance, right arm leading, ready to dodge whatever it....Then he saw the wide dark eyes of Tonks, the light at the tip of her wand pointed right at him at the entrance of his second tunnel. She blinked, and swallowed.
"Fuck." He said in Amestrian. In English, "Shit." Ed said as he broke his fight stance. Mentally kicking himself, knowing he let his focus on the alchemical equations get the better of him.
"S-sorry.." She said. "I w-wanted to see..." She swallowed again.
He nodded, and reached up to the rung on his ladder. Without a word, he pulled himself up.
"Where are you opening this up..?" Tonks asked.
"Broom closet...I tink." Ed said. He hooked his legs in the rungs and freed his hands. He looked down, and flicked the switch of his torchlight. "Put dat out. Reaction light is bad 'noff, yes?"
Tonks said a soft, "Nox" and the light of her wand faded to nothing. Leaving both in the darkness that looked much the same with eyes open or closed.
"Vith any luck, dere vill be no boom." Ed whispered. Then he clapped his hands, and touched the ceiling. Blue light flashed, and the equation asserted Ed's will ever so slowly. Ed blinked. 'Shit.' He thought as he caught a large falling square, that was flat, SOMETHING with both hands. Light spilled into the tunnel. His eyes adjusted, and he noticed that the light was incredibly dim.
'But...tile?!?' He thought, and put the piece up above him, gently, making no sound. He then poked his nose up, and glanced to the sides.
"Luc-ky..!" Ed said in Amestrian, and climbed the rest of the way up with enthusiasm. He poked his head over the edge of his tunnel.
"Dis is master bathroom. No vone uses it. Come." Ed said. "De rest of dis vill be easy."
"Famous last vords." Tonks quipped, in imitation of Ed's accent, and she climbed quickly.
Ed snorted. Once she was clear of the tunnel, he clapped his hands once more, and placed his hands on the edge of the hole. Blue lightening flashed wildly, and he felt his dyed black hair blowing upwards off his neck from the sheer force of the reaction. Once the equation completed itself, the tunnel was filled.
"That a good idea? What if we have to go back that way?"
"Ve von't." Ed said, and stood. He blinked, then flexed his left fingers. The living fingers. He lifted the hand. "Dammit. Left my glove down dere."
Ed heard a crunch, and cringed.
"What the bloody hell did I just step on?" Tonks said, and stepped back a few paces.
"Piece of tile I tink I forgot to be including in equation."
"The what?"
"Is no big deal." Ed squatted, clapped his hands together and touched the broken square of tile. Blue light flashed. The tile was now whole. He lifted it, and placed it back where it belonged on the floor. He clapped his hands again, and touched the tile again. Blue light flashed quickly, like a flashbulb on a camera. He then stood up, and brushed off his long pants. He looked at Tonks, and grinned. "Come." And he opened the bathroom door.
POP!
Startled, Harry dropped a letter from the last pile in his hands, and looked for the source of the sound with wide eyes. Hermione, Ron and Lupin clutched at their wands.
"Wotcher, easy...It's just me." Tonks said, breathless, and waving at them from where she had just apporated, near the garbage bin.
"What happened? Where's Ed?!?" Harry blurted out.
"Moody..!!!" Tonks called. "Where the bloody hell is he?"
"He was just.." Lupin began, then blinked as he realised what had happened. "He's gone...!"
Lupin looked over to Tonks, concern painted all over his face. Tonks frowned, and looked down.
"What happened?" Lupin asked softly.
"I think I got 'stupified' just as Ed was doing something big down there. He was somehow making a tunnel, using just his hands. I woke up as it sealed itself back up." Tonks said.
Harry felt a chunk of ice in pit of his stomach.
"You mean...Ed's all alone?" Ron said.
:::
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