Ed clapped his hands together and touched his right arm with his left, extending the forearm plate into his signature blade in a flash of blue light, stopping the transmutation at about a foot long. He immediately pressed the sharp side to the wizard's throat, where it just grazed the skin slightly.
A tiny line of blood dripped, and the wizard's eyes widened, however slightly.
"*I* do not bother vith PLAY TINGS like STICKS. Ansver my questions."
"Ed..! Stop!"
"What do you think you're..!"
"Blimey!!"
Harry blinked then swallowed at the sight. Ed had a sword..it looked like a sword..at the Auror's throat. The way he was standing...
'It's like he knows how to use it. Like he's used it before to...' Harry thought, not really wanting to think it through.
"Ed...Put the..um..knife down." Harry said slowly in what he hoped was a calming voice. He noticed that Lupin was circling behind Ed, and taking out his wand from his pocket. Ed's back stiffened, and he brought his left hand close to the ground, fingers splayed. Harry saw he didn't turn away from the Auror beneath his sword blade.
"Remus..dat better not be for me..." Ed said in a low and steady voice.
"I can't let you do that, Ed. That's an Auror..." Remus said. "They're our only protection..."
"HE SHOT JON!!" Ed yelled and he turned his head away a moment. Then went right back to the Auror on the wall. The Auror's eyes bulged with panic when Harry supposed he saw Ed's eyes. He could only guess at how piecing they were now that Ed was as angry as he sounded to him.
'Probably thinks they see directly into his soul with a glance.' Harry thought. 'Much less the attention he's getting from them right now.'
"Oh..that's vright..He's just a Muggle. Ve're toys to be played vith to you...Vright? Ve see tings you don't vant us to see, and you screw vith our heads to make sure ve forget. Niiice. How many have long term head provlems from vhat you like to do vith dose sticks of yours? Huh?"
"Stop it...please." Hermione said. "Ed...that's not it.."
"Ed..easy. Back away from him...." Lupin said, wand pointed firmly at Ed. His wand tip glowing slightly as the spell gathered energy.
"Professor.." Harry began.
Ed turned his head slightly, and flicked his gold eyes to Lupin. Harry could see his face was in a scowl.
"If you are going to be shooting me...shoot."
Several things happened at once. First, Hermione screamed. Or was it Ron? Harry couldn't tell.
Then, Harry was sure Lupin shot at Ed. Harry distinctly remembered seeing Ed touching the ground with his left hand as the wand released the jinx. Blue light and lightning flashed all over and largely blinded Harry, and the light from the jinx just added to the blinding whiteness that he furiously blinked away from his eyes.
Next he saw was what looked like a low wall that nearly reached up the card table in height, and was maybe a meter in length. There was a crater around it, like a large circle, and it stood between where he had seen Ed and Lupin. Harry blinked some more, and saw an small arch of blue lightning spark from it. The Auror behind it peeked his head over it and gave the room a good looking around, eyes wide with fright and face scrunched in confusion.
Was that Ed he heard..speaking? Low and angrily, in that language of his..?
Harry tried to find the source, then realised it wasn't from behind the low wall at all. It was, in fact, coming slightly above him. Harry looked up. Ed floated in midair, sword with him in his right. Harry glanced over at Lupin, and saw his wand was pointed directly at Ed.
As he watched, Ed tried to lunge at Lupin. As he had nothing to push against, he just grazed the card table with the blade instead with a sickening scraping noise and a few sparks. It was then that Harry realised that the blade was actually attached to Ed's right arm.
'The false one..of course!' Harry thought as he looked at it.
"Put me down." Ed growled. "NOW!"
"Not until you're much, much calmer, I think."
"Have it your vay den." Ed said. And with a snarl, clapped his mismatched hands together with that distinctive sound.
Pop! Pop! "Stupefy!"
Harry startled as the charm hit Ed squarely in the chest in a blast of red energy. He saw Ed's head jerk back from the impact, then his body went entirely limp. The right arm and left leg dangled lower than the other limbs as he turned over, still floating in the air. He watched as he was gently lowered to the cardtable. Harry looked over to Lupin, and to the two Aurors now standing at either side of him. They were definitely Aurors. One was Scrimgeour, with a tany mane with streaks of gray throughout and green-yellow eyes, the other...dark skin...flowing robes that were oddly Mugglelike, and yet not...
"Kingsley?" Harry whispered...not sure if it was a good idea to say it aloud or not. Then he remembered he had been given a tour of the Ministry by Mr. Weasley, and had 'met' the Auror there.
"Was that really necessary?" Lupin asked.
"Kid took out 2 of my Aurors. I'm in no mood to take any chances." Scrimgeour said grimly, and walked to the cardtable. He glanced at Harry and gave him a frown. Then, to Harry's surpirse, completely ignored his presence. He turned instead to Ed, and he pushed Ed's draping black hair back from his face.
"Hrm...Looks like him alright." Scrimgeour muttered.
:::
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