Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Final Fantasy, or any other book/game referenced to in this story.
Chapter One: The Birth of Harry Helios
"Shouting"
"Foreign Language"
Spells/Summons
Thoughts
"Speaking"
He had arrived just in time to save Sirius, pushing him out of the red spells trajectory; it was at that moment that Harry knew Bellatrix had not meant to kill Sirius in the first place; being hit by the spell instead. The force behind the spell pushed him back, just toward the mirror Sirius was standing in front of, the one they called the Veil of Death. As he drew close, ethereal hands lashed out of the mirror, taking hold of him and pulling. He heard a few distant yells, he could see Sirius' stunned, frightened face as he was pulled away, but he couldn't move a single finger, nor could he speak, or else he would be screaming for help, for anyone to take him out of the Veil.
As his body was fully pulled into the mirror, his view of the outside was denied, instead he found himself in a fully white space, with a myriad of souls circling his form, and one black clad figure standing before him. "Hello, young master" it said, causing Harry to give the first physical reaction in what felt to him like hours, he jumped back and screamed in fright, almost immediately recomposing and looking at the creature, curiously. "Young Master?" He asked, eyes wandering the…thing's form. It wore a black, hooded cloak that seemed to cover everything, so Harry could not see a single part of its body, even though the voice seemed feminine. "Indeed" it began, walking around Harry, who turned his body to follow "you are Harry James Potter, descendant of my old friend, Ignotus Peverell, and the one I have chosen to be my master, but alas" the being ignored his protests, raising one arm to silence him; quite literally too, as he continued trying to speak, only no sound came out of his lips "you died much too soon. You were supposed to go on to gather all my relics, earning the title of Master of Death, end the war with Tom Marvolo Riddle, and lastly, you were supposed to become my successor…" it sighed, appearing rather sad over the current predicament, before it looked once more toward him.
"Given the unforeseen circumstances of your death, I am willing to grant you a boon." It stopped, turning its attention completely to the boy "I will send you to a new world, where you may live a new life, in a different body, under a different name. I am, however, going to allow you to retain your memories, a gift, from me to you, along with two gifts you may ask of me." Harry learned he could speak again, mostly because his latest insult had actually been heard, which seemed to amuse the being, as it chuckled rather good naturedly, but waited nonetheless as he composed himself. "So…wait…you want me to believe you will send me away as a gift?" The being nodded, and when Harry refused to continue his rant, it took that as its cue to explain. "With you gone, your world is doomed; no one is going to survive this war now. You might think the prophecy would prevent you from dying until you confronted Tom Marvolo Riddle, and by human standards it would be true, but you just so happened to fall into the Veil of Death, created by yours truly, and able to kill anything." Harry's mind stopped working for a moment; he was actually talking to Death? Speaking with the being that would one day end all existence? No pressure then. "Fine, I'll bite. Let's say you are able to send me to a new world…I can ask for any two things, yes?" At Death's nod, Harry proceeded. "Very well, first I want my name in this new world to remain Harry. It simply won't do to remember a lifetime being Harry, and have people calling me a name not my own." Death seemed amused, if the chuckle was any indication, but he ignored that and continued. "And I want to have my happy ending this time. I want to live; I want to find someone who loves me and have a family of my own."
He hadn't said it out loud, but that was his plan for his and Luna's relationship; they had gotten together at some point during his fifth year, her company being the soothing presence he needed to keep his increasingly foul mood in check. Death nodded once more, amused, and as Harry asked why it found his wishes so amusing, it simply responded "you could have asked for anything, unlimited power, immortality, and I would have granted it. But you chose to remain Harry, and to be allowed a happy ending this time." Harry's last memory of his talk with death was the being waving at him. I didn't even agree to anything yet!
As Harry disappeared, Death smiled behind her cloak, before a thought came to her mind. "Maybe I should have told him I took away his magic in payment for the favors?" She seemed to give it a moment, before shrugging uncaringly. "Eh, I'm sure master will realize that soon enough…"
He walked in a hastened pace through the halls of his castle. He had been stuck in a meeting with his councilors for actions against Archadia's ever expanding empire. He had ultimately come to the decision that it would be best to employ the aid of Archadia's age old enemy, the kingdom of Rozarria. Nabradia and her neighboring kingdom of Dalmasca were two minor city-states caught in the crossfire between the bigger nations of Archadia and Rozarria, and as such, in order to gain some form of protection from a possible Archadian attack, he had to ensure Rozarria would aid them, but not only that, he had also begun talks with the King of Dalmasca for a lasting peace between their kingdoms.
The King sighed, pushing such thought out of his mind as he reached the door to the chamber in which laid his wife, the Queen, in labor. He had wanted to be there when their child was born, but the summons, as well as the fact that the doctors had told him it'd be best if he were not present held him from such thing. He now waited, pacing in front of the door, anxious to see his son and wife. He couldn't tell exactly how long he'd been waiting, as every second felt like an eternity, but eventually out came one of the doctors, a small bundle in his arms. "Congratulations, your majesty, it's a healthy young boy." The man said, and his face split into a grin "what of my wife?" He asked, and the man went silent, head lowered. "We couldn't save her, my lord. There were some complications during the birth…she wanted her son to be named Harry." The king ignored him completely, walking to the door of the room and looking inside, as the other doctor covered his wife with a sheet. Numbly, he turned his attention to his wife's last gift, their son, and gave a sad smile to the child. "You said she wanted to name the child…" "Harry, sir" the king nodded. A weird name, truthfully, but he would not deny her that. "Harry Heios Nabradia…" he took the child from the doctor's arms and cradled it close to his chest.
† Timeskip: Eighteen Years Later †
The city of Rabanastre, wherein lies Dalmaca's castle, was alight with joy, the people celebrated the moment, all who could standing witness to the parading car that carried their princess, Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, known by the people simply as Ashe stood beside her husband-to-be, wearing her wedding gown. It was a white dress with golden designs on it, the dress left her abdomen and most of her back exposed, golden wristbands on both arms, the sides of her torso covered in gold, and atop her head adornment were long blue feathers. She looked over to him and smiled happily, which he returned before he turned his attention to the people of Rabanastre, who came to watch the parade celebrating the day of their wedding. Harry Heios Nabradia wore a white suit of armor with golden detailing; it consisted of a chest plate, buckled boots, a neck piece and a gauntlet that extended until just below his elbow, and his upper arm was covered as well, the armor extending all the way to a shoulder plate. His armor had a blue drape at the waist, with fleur-de-lis details and a tasseled finish. On his back was a white cape, with golden details, much like the rest of his coat of arms. His short, light blond hair was somewhat messy, much like he remembered in his last life, and his grey eyes, which shone with happiness scanned the crowd. Harry turned his attention to Ashe, her sandy blond hair, reaching down to her shoulders, she was looking around at the gathered crowd, but a moment later her eyes came to his direction, her beautiful blue eyes looking into his grey, and he couldn't really help the smile that came to his face.
Eventually, the car carrying them; it was more of a chariot, really; reached its destination, the foot of the cathedral. He left the car first, before offering his hand to aid Ashe as she did the same. They ascended the long staircase, and it wasn't long before they stood in front of King Raminas, who, after offering a smile to the young couple, began speaking to the gathered. Harry took that time to think on his new life, all the things that had happened up to that point, and how much happier he was now. He thought of his younger years, and instead of being a slave in all but name, he was raised and educated to be a diplomat; politician, really, but he lived in a monarchy, so diplomacy sounded more accurate; and as he grew older, he was taught how to fight with swords and magicks; it was then he learned he no longer had his old magic, but an abundance of what this world called Mana, an energy needed in order to cast spells; and he learned he was not only a natural with the sword, but he was also rather proficient with Light Magicks. His attention came back to the king and his speech as the man said "In the name of the Father and in the presence of these holy relics…I hereby pronounce you man and wife, from this time forth." Harry and Ashe were standing, facing each other and he smiled down at her; he was quite a bit taller than his wife, with her being around five feet five inches tall and he being well on his way to six feet; an action she reciprocated. "May the blessings of the gods light your path for all eternity. Faram." As the last words left the king's lips, the newlywed couple stepped close to each other, both his hands holding onto hers, and he leaned down to plant a kiss on her lips.
The bliss that was his wedding was short-lived, as no sooner had they separated, he saw a soldier approaching the king in hurried steps. Ashe seemed to see it too as she approached the two, an intrigued look on her face. "My lord, Archadia has launched an attack on Nabradia…" the man has spoken in a whisper, but both had heard him, and Harry's heart sank. His father, his kingdom was in danger, he needed to do something. The king almost as if sensing his desire to aid, turned his attention toward the young prince and called him. Harry turned to Ashe, and giving her another quick kiss, separated from her, walking beside the king in hurried steps.
The king had summoned his Knightly Order, and Harry stood in attendance to the meeting, watching as they discussed how to better reinforce his father's kingdom. "If Archadia should launch an attack by both land and air, we will have little-" Harry was looking at the map depicting the presented scenario, red cylindrical stones were projecting the Archadian army, and blue stones, the Dalmascan. The door to the war room was abruptly opened by Basch, one of Dalmasca's knights. He wore what seemed to be a darker variation of Harry's own armor, without the gold details, he had shoulder length, slicked back blond hair. "Nabudis has fallen!" he said, with some urgency, and Harry immediately turned his way, eyes widening. "What of my father?" He asked, and the man shook his head, lowering his gaze momentarily "I know not, I'm sorry."
One of the knights present turned his attention to the king "if Nabudis has indeed fallen, it's only a matter of time before they reach the borders of Dalmasca. There is nothing to hold their advance." The man seemed rather composed, given the situation, and Harry was thankful for that, as he couldn't think clearly, his mind wandering to the fate of his country and father. King Raminas looked upon the map laid out on the table before them, the pieces rearranging in order to show the now unopposed march of Archadia into Dalmasca and said, with a sigh "Secure Nalbina with all haste." To which Basch responded with a salute and "I'll go" before he turned his back and walked out of the chamber in haste. Harry watched for a moment, his mind still not quite clear, he turned to the king "and I'll go with him." He watched as conflicting emotions passed the older male's face, and he seemed to be about to say something, before he relented, and nodded his consent, to which Harry responded equally before he too left the war room in haste, to join Basch.
They were heavily outnumbered, the Archadian main army had joined the force dispatched to take Nalbina, and what seemed to be a victory for Dalmasca was quickly becoming a slaughter of its army. Harry and Basch rode their chocobo's through the enemy's forces, he would go first, slashing and thrusting his sword as more of the enemy's soldiers ran his way, and Basch would provide assistance in the form of a bow and arrow. They were on their way to the Paling, to reinforce its defenses, and Harry decided to take a moment to look upward, into the night sky, seeing the battle taking place in the air. He had watched as their first counter-offensive had diminished the number of Archadian airships by a large margin, but then their own reinforcements arrived, and now Dalmasca's airships were being overwhelmed.
Returning his attention to the battle, he heard Basch say "The fort is lost! We must withdraw!" and he agreed with that, even as he looked back and saw that the paling still stood; the paling was something Harry really thought to be magnificent, as it was a magic powered by a crystal surrounded by priests, who would chant in order for the Paling to erect itself; he turned his head to Basch and nodded. The man seemed relieved by it, as it must have appeared to him he would deny that request. Basch began securing a route for them to escape the battle, scanning the surrounding area as Harry watched the Paling fade. "The Paling has fallen!" he said, cursing under his breath; he wanted to avenge his father, but he knew it would be pointless to be killed in this battle, as there would be many other opportunities to do so in the future; and turning to Basch, as the man seemed to have found an escape route. He readied his sword, knowing they would have to fight their way out, and as he was about to charge, in a urgent tone, Basch screamed "Lord Harry!" he saw the arrow a little too late to cast a Protect around himself, but he was still able to shift his body just enough so it wouldn't hit where it was meant to, his neck. Instead he felt the arrow penetrate the skin on his shoulder, and he grunted in pain, raising a hand to the arrow, trying to pull it away; he was mostly putting on a show, he'd decided that the war against Archadia would not be won in the open like this; before he slumped forward, feigning death.
He felt as Basch took him from his chocobo, running away from the battle, with the injured lord slung over his mount. He did not move until they were past the Barheim Passage, when Basch stopped his chocobo momentarily to check on him. He removed the arrow from his shoulder, hissing as he did so, and cast a healing spell on himself, getting rid of the minor injury. Harry sighed, looking at Basch, who seemed surprised for a moment "I think it best we let the enemy believe I died…for now." Basch seemed taken aback by his words, and question the reasoning behind this decision. "This war will not be won in the open like this, Basch. We fight a much stronger enemy, but not only that, their leader is cunning and ruthless. I believe he had the first wave intentionally killed in order to draw out our strategies, give us false hope of victory…to fight someone like that we'll need to be snakes ourselves, or all is lost." Basch seemed to struggle with his motives, but he wouldn't question his lord; Harry would one day become King of Dalmasca, after all; "Will you at least tell Lady Ashe? I do not feel comfortable lying to her." Harry smiled and nodded, he had all intentions of letting her know, as well as King Raminas, as he was going to need help coming up with their next course of action, him being dead was mostly so he could work unrestrained from behind the curtains. The chocobo had been allowed to rest for a moment, before Basch and Harry mounted on it again, Harry once more taking his dead stance, slumped over the creature as they went, it wouldn't do for his plan to come undone because he trusted the people of Rabanastre not to betray their liege.
AN: I'm back. I won't say I'm sorry for not posting, because I'm really not and I'll explain why in a moment, but I WILL say I'm sorry for not updating you guys sooner.
The reason I didn't post anything for the past month was my godmother was visiting, and given recent events writing was the furthest from my mind during that time. But I'm back and The Conqueror should be updated next, since I'm in that mood again =3 I love that story and I'm so happy a lot of people seem to like it as well...but I need to say something, I'm giving all my stories updates, even the ones with no one reading. I like telling stories, so I'll continue no matter how many are reading...although the reviews always help me xD I love the criticism (outright flames I use to incinerate my enemies so thank you flamers) and I absolutely relish every compliment to my stories...but at the end of the day I write for me as much as I write for my readers, and I don't post stories I don't feel could make good stories (anymore anyway...my first few stories were getting nowhere fast) even Immortal Effect, which I, and a reviewer agreed, thought was a little forced, and painting humanity as a whole as the bad guys, although I had a twist for that at some poing...anyway I'm rambling...
New story, Final Fantasy XII crossover...let's talk about this for a moment =3 I was discussing the game in a group I'm a part of and I thought...Hey, this would make a good crossover, I have an idea for the story...les do dis! So here we are, and I'm opening spots for OCs for Harry's crew (Hell eventually be a sky pirate/actual mercenary band) so send me profiles...I'll need some basic info of course:
Name; obviously
Age;
Race; (I'll accept all races from FF XIV even though I don't exactly play that game, because FF is a diverse universe so let's honor that, shall we?)
Personality; Give me something to work with...what makes your character tick?
Origin; where is your character from? Nabradia? Dalmasca? Archadia? Rozarria maybe?
Background; tell me some of your character's story, what got him/her to that point? What made he/her decided that being a sky pirate/merc was the way to go?
Now then, I feel I should say why I'm adopting this in almost all my stories now...I loved this idea to be honest, to insert a character that isn't already part of the story, or my OC, a character I'm familiar with, in the story. Making a character that otherwise I would not have thought on into a secondary(in this story's case) character, but still making them important to the storyline...it's a challange I decided to welcome whenever possible. See? Even this is as much for me as it is for the readers hahaha xD Oh, right...send the profile via PM, as to not pollute the Review section (I forgot to say this in the DA story xD)
Anyway, hope you enjoy this \o
See ya o/