Title: Before Dumbledore
Ten minutes before midnight, Ed stood before the large gargoyle statue that blocked the stairs, tilted his head and narrowed his golden eyes.
"I could simply deconstruct it..but why is it there in the first place?" Ed muttered in Amestrian as he glanced about, strongly suspecting that there had to be some sort of a puzzle to solve to get the statue to move. He vaguely remembered Hermione saying something about it when he asked her for directions.
'Or is it a statue?' Ed thought, and tapped his gloved right fist against the thing's nose. There was a dull tink! tink! with each rap. Ed then took off his left glove and touched the statue. He focused inward and closed his eyes, looking within himself for the structure beneath his hand.
"Whatever are you doing, Elric?" ..drawled a voice. "You know the rules. ...No students are allowed to wander about the halls at this time."
'Alive!' Ed thought as his eyes flew open, and he eased his hand from the statue. He shot a glare at Severus, who was looking even more bat-like than ever to Ed thanks to the black robe the man wore. Black shoulder length hair just as greasy as it was on Friday's class. He stood just behind Ed with his arms folded, face set in a scowling sneer.
Ed's own hated!robe was draped over his right arm. He himself was dressed in a fresh white long sleeved button-up shirt. The gray vest was one of his best, and it matched the slacks nicely. His watch chain was hooked to a right front loop over his belt and continued on to the watch itself, which was tucked into his pocket on his right. He had braided back his long gold hair into a single rope, but his unruly bangs still hung low over his cheeks. Dress shoes were on his feet this time, instead of his usual heavy boots.
Ed clapped his hands together and held them up before him, fingers splayed. The wall behind the statue had something flare brightly, and Ed crooked his head around the thing, leaning precariously on one foot, to have a look. When the light faded, he shifted back and replaced his glove on his left.
"Nodhing vreally important." Ed said softly, as he folded his arms. "Besides..I tink it likely you alvready know I may not be student here much longer."
"I believe another 50 or so points would be a nice round number to take from Gryffindor for this infraction."
Ed snorted.
"Knock yourself out, Professor Snape." Ed said as he slapped his hands together and reached for the gargoyle, fingers of each hand stopping within a few inches of touching the living stone. "It is vell hidden. But dhat does not matter. Move now, or you're dust."
Nothing happened. The statue remained motionless. Ed rolled his eyes, shook out his hands, and let out a breath.
"Was that some sort of an idle threat...?" Snape said in a low voice.
"Changed my mind. Iz all." Then Ed slapped his palms together and lunged to the ground. Just before he touched...
"I believe the password is... Rainbow sprinkles."
Ed was crouched right before the gargoyle as it leapt lightly aside as if it were made of flesh instead of his estimated 2.2 tons of granite. It even stuck it's stone tongue at him as it landed. Ed glared at it with narrowed eyes as he rose to stand, shaking out his hands as he went. He folded his arms and tapped his right hand against his left bicept.
"It is most fortunate we are already here at the Headmaster's office, Elric, or I would insist on escorting you here for expulsion myself." Severus said. "I would hope that the happy occasion of your departure awaits us above the stairs. Now. Step aside or get moving."
Ed waited at the Headmaster's office door after Severus went in, as the man insisted he do. Which was fine, as it allowed him to put on his hated!robe and at least look like he was something of a student at this place. He left the front of the garment open, seeing no reason to cover his pocket watch.
'It's silly really. Covering up a symbol with a symbol.' Ed thought. 'Not that it should really matter to me anyway. Besides, at least the watch isn't a damn uniform.'
Satisfied he looked (somewhat) presentable, he reached up and knocked on the door with his right, the sound of it echoed loudly in the hall around him.
"You may enter now, Mr. Elric." Ed heard. It was Dumbledore, speaking flawless Amestrain.
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