Edward Elric the new Howard teacher

Chapter 4

Thirt Person POV:

You could see the alchemist and the headmaster of Howard shaking hands. They both had different goals, yet somehow still the same. Neither of them revealed all that they wanted from the exchange they had just made.

The Alchemist said he wanted to find and protect Harry Potter to return a favor but never mentioned that he also sought the information the school had to offer, so he would have a better idea of what to expect from this new world. After all, it was a school.

Then there was the headmaster, who, after learning that Edward was an alchemist, wanted to recruit him from the start. Edward had knowledge that even the headmaster didn't know about, which was uncommon for him. Sure, he had knowledge about alchemy; he was famous for that. However, the truth was that he had never practiced alchemy himself. It was always someone else who was the practicing alchemist, but he had long since retired from the craft.

That desire to recruit Edward increased after he asked the headmaster about magic. He had never heard of anyone who had seen him besides himself. Even he was not asked to help him out. When he learned that Edward was looking for Harry Potter to protect him from harm, he was overwhelmed with thoughts of possibilities that could benefit him.

The headmaster wanted the same thing, which was one of the reasons he wanted to recruit Edward. Without revealing that he had planned to do this from the beginning, he made it seem like he was being generous and even offered to make moving paintings for Edward. However, these also had a different purpose than what he was offering.

You see, the headmaster had never heard of a person named Edward Elric. He knew every person who had ever been to his school and many people from the magical world. Yet even his family name didn't ring any bells. Could he be a Muggle-born? If so, how did he know magic and alchemy without learning it? He hoped that the photos would be of some help.

There was one photo that stood out from the rest. Edward was around 12 years old but was in a military uniform. The headmaster didn't know what to make of it, though he couldn't tell which country it was from by the military uniform itself. It would explain why Edward had never attended the school, but being in the military at such a young age was unheard of. Yet another mysterious detail about the boy who would be a teacher for the next seven years.

He also wanted to know Edward's thoughts on the Philosopher's Stone. He was hiding it in his school because of the danger associated with it. If he wanted to get his hands on it, he would need to hide it from Edward. On the other hand, if he didn't, Edward would be the perfect candidate to help him protect it. After all, it was alchemy that made it. But he had to do it cleverly so as not to arouse Edward's suspicion.

He decided to strike up a conversation about alchemy with him.

"I have to admit that even with all my knowledge of magic, I don't know much about alchemy. Could I ask you some questions about the subject? I at least need to answer some basic questions about alchemy to my students if they ask, after all," he said, trying to start a conversation. For the first time since arriving, Edward had a smile on his face.

"I would love to help you with that, old man, but in exchange, I would like you to provide me with the knowledge of magic. I don't want to look like a fool since I never learned magic in a magical school. Sounds good to you?" Spoken like a true alchemist, Edward once again took the opportunity for an equivalent exchange. The headmaster began to understand Edward a bit better, or at least he thought so.

Edward did not care about who he was talking to; he would tell you what he thought without hesitation. He took every opportunity to learn more or gain something but always gave something of equal value in return. The headmaster could respect that mindset. Even though he had only just met Edward, he truly believed that Edward would never hurt anyone in his school.