Title: Saishū Yume
Author: Ex-Professor Remus Lupin
Rating: R
Genre: Action/Adventure/Alternate Universe/Romance
Era: None
Pairing(s): Remus/Sirius, Severus/Harry
Summary: It starts, as a simple kidnapping. It will become an adventure unlike any other as a group of mismatched heroes find themselves drawn into a war for not only their lives, but also their very souls.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: I started playing Final Fantasy IX again a few nights ago and on a whim, I named Zidane's character Sirius. I then named Vivi, Severus and Steiner, Weasley. From there it has turned into what you will hopefully read. It's probably the oddest crossover/AU I've ever heard of, but it does have some interesting qualities. My favorite fantasy book and my favorite fantasy game (pun intended) brought together in what I can only hope will be as entertaining for you to read as it was for me to write.

A note: most of the older characters have been de-aged including Sirius, Remus, and Severus. Sirius will be eighteen, Remus is seventeen, and Severus is twenty-one. This is for the sake of the story making a bit more sense because Severus is a black mage yes, but not a very powerful one. If he were his correct age, thirty-six, he would have to be quite powerful. As for Sirius and Remus, well, Ron can't be protecting a thirty-six year old prince now can he?

Also, this is slash – of the Remus/Sirius and Severus/Harry kind – and now, you have been warned, back away slowly if slash offends you or either pairing does, because flames that are cruel, stupid, or otherwise ineffectual, will be soaked in blood and fed to my thestral, Luna.
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Chapter One
Of Wizards, Princes, and Thieves
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Severus Snape was many things, but he was not cute. Or rather, that's what he liked to believe until a woman standing outside the potion shop grabbed his face in her hands and made the most sickening cooing noises possible as she manhandled him. He decided quickly she was obviously blind.

The black mage tore out of the old woman's brittle hands, scrubbing his face with the edge of his sleeve. Black eyes narrowed as she continued to fuss over him, treating him as one did a child; which, as his twenty-one years of living would prove, he was not. This was an undignified way for a black mage to be treated, he thought, most definitely.

He adjusted his hood once more and proceeded down the streets of Gryffindor with caution, keeping his face downcast so as not to repeat that embarrassing display.

The Kingdom of Gryffindor was the oldest of the five kingdoms upon the continent of Hogwarts. A city of architecture and classic style buildings, Severus found the entire things much too musty when compared to Slytherin, the city of the rich and noble. Not that he had plans to notify anyone that he hailed from Slytherin. Most of the people in Gryffindor seemed uneasy around people from the neighboring kingdom to the west.

Severus found the whole thing irritating at best, especially since he'd been ordered to come to Gryffindor. The Black Mage Conclave, on some orders from their leader, had ordered him to retrieve the prince using whatever methods he deemed fit, so long as the prince was still capable of breathing.

That was how he found himself walking the streets of the city. It was a wholesome place and home of King Cornelius; devoted to the studies of medicine and the art of swordsmanship. He had arrived by airship early that morning and now he was expected to find the crowned prince of the city, kidnap him, and get him out of the city without being caught. From there, he would have to bring him to Slytherin and to the one that his orders had come from.

Severus had absolutely no idea how he was going to accomplish this, but it didn't matter now as he pushed his way through the throng of people standing in the cities center. He was surprised to find a portly man with far too many gold baubles around his neck standing upon a step holding a megaphone to his lips.

"This year in honor of Prince Remus' seventeenth birthday, the palace invites you to see a performance of 'The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet' by Lord Shakespeare. It will be performed by the Marauder theatre troupe from the kingdom of Ravenclaw!" the man proclaimed. "Any wishing to purchase last minute tickets may do so now!"

The man stepped off the box as people, most of them of the middle class, began to line up to buy their tickets. Severus remained near the back, gazing around the crowd for a way to get past them and into the castle. It was than that, he noticed the looks. He looked down at himself and sighed. Of course.

Dressed in black, flowing robes hemmed with silver threads, he looked the part of the evil black mages. Many people on Hogwarts were under the impression that black mages were evil. Of course, Gryffindor was a city of swordsman so they feared most types of magic regardless of color.

Glaring at the woman standing beside him giving him dirty looks, he moved between her and a heavyset man smelling heavily of an armory and toward the open gates that led into the castle courtyard. He strode past the guards without as much as a glance from the armored women. Smirking, he shook his head; this was really going to be too easy.

-

The character known only as the Chorus stepped out onto the stage dressed in classical clothing of the late Victorian age when men wore frilly shirts and puffy pants. The dark skinned man looked at ease in the ridiculous outfit as he strode out to his place mark on the outside stage. Prince Remus, leaning casually forward to watch, nearly gave a start when the man spoke, his deep baritone carrying even so far as to be heard in the royal balcony.

"Two households, both alike in dignity in fair Verona, where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood make civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, whose misadventured piteous overthrows doth with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-marked love and the continuance of their parent's rage – which but their children's end, naught could remove – is now the two-hours' traffic of our stage; the which if you with patient ears attend, what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."

The prince sighed, brushing a strand of sandy brown strand of hair from his blue eyes as it came undone from its binding at the base of his neck. He had a certain fondness for Romeo and Juliet ever since he'd been a child. He'd always loved the idea of finding his soul mate in such a way; though without the tragic death.

He gazed over at his father, the king of Gryffindor, Cornelius. A thin man dressed in fine attire of dark red, he was a sight with his gold jewelry. But these jewels were nothing when compared to the royal jewel that hung around Remus' neck. The stone was a deep, blood red in color. Cut into the shape of a claw, it rested comfortably on his chest from its silver chain.

Two men stepped out onto stage dressed in dark blue.

"Gregory, on my word, we'll not carry coals," said the one, a youth of twenty with dark blue eyes and blonde hair.

"No, for then we should be colliers," the other replied, his own hair a deep brown and eyes flaring emeralds.

Remus watched enthralled as the Capulet family servants met and brawled with the servants of the Montague family. As the prince entered the fray and smoothed the situation, delivery his harsh law to both families, Remus was mouthing the words once more despite the fact that he was already distracted by his own plans.

A moment later, Romeo appeared on stage. He was a handsome man; his black hair hanging feather-like to the middle of his back, pulled into a low ponytail, leaving bangs to fall into intelligent gray eyes. He seemed lost as he wondered onto the stage.

"Good morrow, cousin," Benvolio said.

"Is the day so young?" Romeo asked wistfully and the prince found himself leaning forward with interest, gazing intently at Romeo.

Sometime later, when Romeo had slain Tybalt, the actor fled the stage, taking the path through the crowd to the castle where they had a room set up for such a thing. It was easy for the actor to sneak around and get back onto the ship through a side entrance from one of the castle's side doors. Remus stood.

"I shall return in a moment, father,' he said softly as he stood, his robes, marking him as a magic user, made of a soft white material, fell softly around his lithe frame.

"Of course, my son," the king said absently, waving his hand.

The prince moved away from his father's throne to the steps where General Granger stood, dressed in her leather and steel armor and holding a sword calmly in her hands, the blade tip pressed to the floor before her while she balanced her hands upon the hilt.

"Your Highness," she said softly, bowing her head as he passed.

Moving toward the doorway that led into the castle, he did not spare a glance Captain Weasley, dressed in full armor. Weasley had been his personal guard for many years and he was eager to get out of the older man's gaze if even for a moment. Weasley did however notice the prince as he strode determinedly through the doorway and down the steps.

Carefully, he maneuvered down the stairs, past the guards room to where the room that the players were using. As he neared the door, a hand reached out from an alcove and grabbed his arm. He cried out in alarm, but a hand pressed over his mouth, muffling the sound as whoever had grabbed him, dragged him into the shadows of the recess.

Pressed tightly now to a strong male body, the prince continued to struggle, realizing that he couldn't breathe with that hand pressed over his mouth and nose and the arm wound tightly around his abdomen wasn't helping.

Soft breath caressed his ear as the other spoke, "I'm here to get you out of Gryffindor, Your Highness. Your uncle would very much like to speak with you about your father."

Remus tensed.

"I would suggest you release him now," a cold, angry voice spoke.

The prince looked up at a tall imposing figure standing in the hallway. Dressed in black robes and wearing a cloak and hood, the figure cut a striking contrast to the gray stone walls as the hooded face gazed at them.

"What are you going to do to me, huh?" the man holding Remus demanded. "You think you can beat me with a few spells?"

"Just one," the cloaked figure said, lifting their right hand up.

Flames erupted from the extended palm. The heat filled the air quickly and Remus could feel himself breaking out into a sweat.

"I was told to use any means, and I will use any means," the mage growled threateningly and without another word, he threw the fireball at them.

Remus's eyes snapped shut and he pulled at his own magic reserves, calling upon the first spell he could think of to stop the attack. There was a flash of red light and Remus felt himself falling to the floor. He hit the stone with a dull thud just as the fire reached him and the one who had grabbed him. Looking up from the floor, his brown eyes widened in surprise at the sparkling red dust that hovered in the air before him as the fire struck the barrier.

There was a brilliant flash of white light and the fire turned back around and headed back toward the mage, setting the hem of his robes on fire. "Water," the mage said sharply and a sudden roar, the cool liquid soaked the hem of the robes, putting the fire out.

"Maybe you're not so useless after all," Remus looked over his shoulder at his would be kidnapper to find the actor who had been playing Romeo, still dressed in the strange out of place costume.

The prince struggled to his feet, glaring at the actor. He had no right to make any sort of comments about his uselessness. However, it was hard to get the point across being nearly six inches shorter than he was.

"I'll have you know that I-," he started, but the other man stopped him by grabbing his wrist and pulling him down the hallway.

"No time, Your Highness!" he yelled.

-

Severus glared after them and then down at his destroyed robes. His face twisted with loathing and he closed his eyes. I would seem that getting the prince to Slytherin was going to be a much more difficult task then he had thought.

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Author's Note: Next chapter will be up soon. Feedback is appreciated. In addition, Remus's eyes are blue because he isn't a werewolf as of yet.

Next Chapter: Exiting Gryffindor proves harder than they thought...