Title: Of fur and theropy
Harry awoke and rubbed his blurry eyes. He looked over at Ron's bed and saw he was lazily stretching with a great yawn. Red hair sleep mussed, Ron blinked and looked over to Harry.
"Morning...!" Ron's voice called.
Pop!Pop!
"Morning!!"
"Up and at 'em!!" Fred and George said.
Nearly immediately, as one, Fred and George turned to look at the third occupant of the bedroom, and both smiled evilly.
"I'm...staying out of it." Ron said. "Mum told you two..."
George glanced over at Harry, and raised an eyebrow.
"You two are just asking for it..." Harry said. "I'll stay over here..thanks.."
As Harry put on his glasses from the nightstand, the twins moved to either side of Ed's bed.
"Pshhh..could've hurt us a long time ago if he wanted to.."
"...come on 'Itty bitty Eddie'..wakey wakey.." Fred and George said.
Harry cringed at those words. Moments passed. Nothing happened. No movement. No furious yelling. Nothing. Harry blinked.
"Huh..um.." Ron said, "That's..odd...He'd usually be.."
"Hey..oh....he's already awake. Look. Eyes're.." Fred said.
Fred squatted by where Harry supposed Ed's face was, and pushed back the covers. Then removed them all together. Ed was curled up in a tight ball, laying on his side. Harry got out of bed and went to take a closer look.
"Ed..hey..wake up! Hey, come on..now!" George said.
George took hold of one of Ed's shoulders and gave him a shake. Ed laid on the bed, and if he felt the touch, he sure didn't respond to it. Harry stood right beside Fred, and looked to Ed's face. Ed's eyes were indeed open, and even occasionally blinked. They were they seemed to be that muddy brown he had seen the night before instead of usual gold.
'Like an inner light had just been put out or something..' Harry thought, and his stomach twisted sickly upon itself.
"Ed...?" Harry said. "uh..Ron..hurry..let's get someone..!"
"..for the record..we had NOTHING to do with this...!" George said.
"I'll get mum.." Fred said softly, with a frown on his face.
Pop!
"Maybe an 'ennervate' will work?!..or should I test out our latest creation on him??" George said.
"Maybe it's his arm..it was bleeding last night." Harry looked at Ed's folded arms...the left one looked to be firmly held with the metal right."Still holding it.." Harry reached for the arm, and found he couldn't move it from the clasping metal fingers of the right. "Can't get it loose..little help..?" Harry said.
"..Some grip he's got..wait.." George tapped his wand on the metal hand. "Alohomora!" The metal hand eased open. "..that did it, now..ewww..bloody...crusted over a bit.." George said, as he turned the forearm about. Right under where the metal hand had been was the circular wound, blood now brown and dry on Ed's long sleeved night clothes. Harry touched Ed's forehead.
"No fever." Harry said. "What coul.."
Pop!
"Mum's almost.."
"Ed..?" Mrs. Weasley said. "What happened..? What'd you two.."
"Nothing..we found him like.."
"It's true..swear." Ron said
Mrs. Weasley pushed George aside and took his place, easing to sit on the edge of Ed's bed. She then brushed aside Ed's unruly bangs from his face, and sighed a shaking sigh. Ed's face was as passive and expressionless as if it were carved in stone.
"mum?" George said.
"oooooh...He was like this last night, too. In that hall. Thought it was that blasted boggart. Should've worn OFF by now if it was...Maybe it's the burn?"
Mrs. Weasley gently eased up Ed's chin and tapped her wand to the bandage taped there. The bandage floated off obediently, and Mrs. Weasley looked the burn over, and frowned. After a few moments, she replaced the bandage and shook her head with a confused expression on her face.
"Mrs. Weasley..um...did he say..what that thing was?" Harry asked.
"Harry..you saw..?"
"I was there the entire time, remember..? At the doorway?"
"Snf..yes. Yes. I..um..only had him talk a little on it. The part that seemed least frightening..The boy..the one that yelled at him? He said..he said he was his brother..."
"..HE HAS A BROTHER..?!?" Ron exclaimed, and looked accusingly at Harry.
"He never..I mean I didn't.. I should've.." Harry stammered.
A hand that wasn't his own brushed through his hair. Slight rocking sensation, like he was on the train to back Resenbool. Only.
This was no dream, because he knew he was awake; much like he knew Al hated him. Al hated him with everthing his was. That fact was not going away..it was a fact nailed into what was left of his heart.
He felt that..THING... that heart...beating in his chest, though he knew it had been torn through by a real monster six months ago. He'd seen the gaping wound himself before he knew nothing more, then awoke later only find himself whole.
It was.
A gift.
His life was a parting gift from Al; one that left him utterly. Alone and.
And. Al hated him. His life was given back to him because his brother hated him. That thunderous, traitorous beating thing in his chest told him he was still alive; further proof for Al's hate for him, forcing him to live on without...go on..
Wait. Al was at the Gate...?
But..wasn't Al beyond the Gate's reach by now...? Six long months of being unable to use Alchemy ensured that Al had to have..gone... beyond being retrievable...?
He loosed his loving grip on the sound of Al's voice--those damning words--and...with considerable regret, pushed it away. It was no longer Al's beloved voice..but it was so, achingly close. The act left him feeling a sort of empty cold inside...but he'd found the flaw. That flaw was devastating enough to tighten his chest into one great knot he couldn't begin to unravel.
:::
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