AN: To everyone who read the first chapter before and said that it was good, I hope that you find this rewritten version even better! I will post this as the second chapter to see what people like better as a first chapter.
Okay, now a summary of what I had written in the author's note before. Everyone in the FFVIII universe is 14 or 15 (Quisty and Seifer are the old ones). In the HP universe, the gang and their archenemies are in their fifth year (very beginning).
Blue eyes slowly slid shut in exhaustion only to slam open. The field of endless dry, cracking desert did not change no matter how many times Squall Leonhart blinked. As he forced his legs to transport him across the barren plain with the warping sky, he could not help but feel that the situation was helpless, and only because of him. He had seen his comrades before he had been sucked into this twisted pocket of time and they had all been determined to meet each other at the Orphanage. No matter how hard Squall tried, he could never truly feel like he fitted in with them, so he had trouble focusing his whole being on trying to go "home".
Caught up in his thoughts, the Lion of Balamb Garden did not notice that his view had changed until he had almost walked off the edge. Frowning in confusion, he turned around. The miles he had walked were not there. It was as if without his knowledge he had been transported to a tiny island, hidden away in time.
"SeeD…"
Squall paused as he heard the ghostly whisper upon the nonexistent wind.
"Kurse… all… SeeD…"
Immediately his hand flew to his gunblade. He knew that voice. It was the voice of Ultimecia. The Sorceress that had tried to use Time Compression to merge all eras until every single bit of life was destroyed except her own. He, along with five others, had sought to destroy her. Squall had thought that she had died when she had transferred her powers to Matron, and inadvertently started the cycle that would create the SeeDs that she so desperately hated.
"Kurse them…"
Apparently, they had failed.
Suddenly the landscape before him rippled and Ultimecia emerged in all of her winged glory.
"I shall destroy… all SeeDs…" One of her purple-clawed hands started gathering energy. Squall had no idea what she was planning to do but he knew that it would not bode well for him, so in one swift moment, he unsheathed the electric blue blade of his upgraded gunblade and ran at the Sorceress from the future.
Fatigue had other plans, however, and he stumbled not even half way towards her. She grinned maliciously at his falter and started to gather even more power. The island they were on started crumbling away beneath her brown covered feet. Squall knew that he had little time left (unless he had the power to fly that he was unaware of), but he could not think of what to do. He could use all of his strength in one final attempt to stop her but that would be all. An attempt.
Ultimecia was not going to give Squall any time to decide as she put the next step of her plot into play.
Squall yelled in pain as previous injuries that had been healed began to reassert themselves. His body was breaking under the pain of past attacks such as the firey inferno of "Hell's Judgment". All to soon, he felt the pain of electricity coursing through his veins in a useless attempt to force information from him. Then, he felt something stab his shoulder. Looking down, he stared in morbid shock at the icicle that protruded from his torso. Tearing his gaze away he focused on the Sorceress. It appeared that the previous battles had taken a toll on her. She had fallen to her knees. Through his pain-muddled mind, Squall realized that something was off. Ultimecia had knees. The last time he had seen her, she had had an extra body instead of legs, so she should not have knees.
He had no time to debate what this meant as what appeared to be an angel slid into existence. Her warm brown eyes were determined to stop the witch in front of her from doing whatever she was doing.
"Turning time back," a voice growled in Squall's head. He managed to turn his head to view what was behind him. There, floating in the eddies of time, was Ultimecia's Guardian Force, Griever.
"No, not her guardian," the deep voice rumbled. "Yours."
Squall didn't have much time to contemplate a response when a shriek pierced the air. "KURSE YOU! NOW, THE WORLDS ARE MIXING! KURSE ALL SEEDS!"
The angel had managed to change what the Witch was doing but at a heavy cost. A cost that would take her life and force her loved ones into a situation perhaps even more dire than before.
"Rin…" Squall moaned as the angle faded into time. Blood trickled down his face as he lost consciousness, unaware of the world that he would wake up in.
Everyone at Hogwarts was enjoying the start of a new year. Even the trio of Gryffindor's that was worried about the lack of their half-giant friend. The sorting was about to start though, so all worries were shoved to the edge of the minds while the hat sang its song.
"In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach!"
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach just those whose
Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name,"
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting the died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the houses been united
As they were once meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you…
Let the Sorting now begin."
As mutterings and applause broke out across the Great Hall, an old man could not help but think of how much the four founders paralleled four students he had once had. The Marauders had seemed inseparable until they started mistrusting each other…
After "Zeller, Rose" was sorted into Hufflepuff, Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet.
"Before I let you all tuck into the scrumptious feast, we have five new students that shall be sorted and placed into the fifth year."
The still open doors of the Great Hall were suddenly the focus of every student. Five teenagers stood there looking very uncomfortable in the robes that they had had to dawn.
"Almasy, Seifer." Professor McGonagall called.
A blonde boy probably close to six feet tall sauntered up, looking as if he had not a care in the world.
Harry who had been thinking that the smug blond would have been put in Slytherin was quite surprised when the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Dincht, Zell," was the next name that McGonagall called.
Zell Dincht was also blonde but instead of slicked back hair, he resembled a chicken. He was also considerably shorter (probably only 5'2", if even that).
When the hat announced that Zell was going to be in Gryffindor, Seifer groaned in distaste and muttered something that sounded distinctly like "Fucking Chicken Wuss." Hermione gave him a scandalized glare that caused him to smirk.
"Kinneas, Irvine."
The last male had long auburn hair tied back into a ponytail and a saucy grin that made several girls giggle excitedly.
Yet again, the Hat said Gryffindor.
"Tilmitt, Selphie."
A spunky brunette bounded forward to put the hat onto her head. Selphie seemed to have the same genes as Zell when it came to height because she wasn't anywhere near average height. Harry estimated, amused, that she wasn't even 5'. When he voiced his thoughts to Ron, Hermione gave them a look that plainly told them to shush.
The whole hall was amazed when she was not put in Gryffindor (they thought that there had been a trend going on). Instead, the hat placed her into Hufflepuff (but not without a bit of regret that was apparent to the close listener).
"Trepe, Quistis," McGonagall called the last person forward.
As the slender blonde-haired woman allowed the patched old Hat to be placed upon her head, Harry caught sight of the most startling blue eyes he had ever seen.
"RAVENCLAW!" The hat called out decisively.
As Minerva McGonagall took away the three legged stool and the hat, Dumbledore stood up again. "To all of our new students- welcome! To our returning students- welcome back! As this is not the time for speech making, I invite you to dig in!" The plates before all of the students were suddenly piled high with foods one could only imagine.
"Excellent!" Ron said with a groan of desire as he piled food onto his plate. Across from him, Hermione was asking Nearly Headless Nick about the Sorting Hat's warning.
"What were you saying before the Sorting?" Hermione prompted him, "About the hat giving warnings?"
Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington went on to explain that the Hat always said that the school should unite from within whenever danger was close at hand.
"Fat chance," Harry said glaring at the pompous Slytherin across the Hall from him.
"Maybe the new students will help make things easier," Hermione said as she watched Tilmitt and Kinneas make faces at each other. Ron who had been watching Dincht and Almasy laughed openly at Hermione's suggestion.
"Bastard!" Dincht shouted at Almasy.
"Awww… Is the poor chickie insulted?" Almasy said snidely, his green eyes glinting.
Over at the Ravenclaw table, Trepe stood up and marched right over to them. "Stop this at once! You are behaving like petulant little children, although I would expect no better of you, Seifer."
"Instructor, you wound me. Have you always expected so little of me?" Almasy grabbed at his chest as if he had been shot in the heart.
"Yes," Trepe stated simply and turned to Dincht. "Zell, I expected better of you. Surely you are above this petty fighting."
Dincht seemed to deflate under her words. "But, Quisty, he insulted Squall!"
"What, is it now illegal to insult Puberty Boy?" Almasy grumbled as Trepe turned a withering glare upon him. "Fine, why are you all so touchy, anyways?" Harry frowned in confusion, why would Almasy have backed down just because of Trepe glaring at him, even if it was pretty scary?
"Why?" Trepe hissed. "You dare ask why? When we all appeared here, neither he nor Rinoa were with us. We got you instead. And mind control is no excuse for being a bastard," she added the last bit upon seeing that he was going to object.
Hermione, who had been listening into the conversation along with the rest of the Gryffindors (except Kinneas who was somehow at the Hufflepuff table), spoke up at this point. "Appeared? What do you mean, appeared?"
Trepe looked around upon hearing the query and her icy expression melted a touch. "We had been trying to get back home when there was a large influx of magic. As far as we can tell, something had gone wrong with the various eras trying to unwind from each other." Hermione, the brilliant know-it-all gave Trepe a confused look.
Seifer snorted. "Instructor, why don't you just put it in simple terms?"
"Oh? If you think you know what I should do, why don't you do it?"
"Fine. We are from a different time and a different world. We have no idea how we got here but Ultimecia, being the bitch she is, probably-"
"Hem hem," a sickly sweet voice behind him cleared her throat. "Language, Mr. Almasy," and with that, the toad of a woman swept up the isle and took her place in the Defense Against the Dark Arts seat.
Almasy gave the toad a decidedly inappropriate sign that made Trepe give him a stern "Seifer!" as she slid into the bench next to Dincht.
"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast," the Headmaster had stood up to make the speech that he had not made before. "I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," Dumbledore's blue eyes were twinkling merrily over his half moon spectacles. "First years, no matter the age, ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students- and a few of our older students ought to know by now as well." At that, Hermione, Ron, and Harry exchanged not so innocent expressions as they remembered their previous ventures into the Forbidden Forest. "Mr. Filch, the caretaker," Dumbledore gestured down the table to a scowling man in a musty old coat. "has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's door."
"Who'd do that?" Ron asked incredulously as Dumbledore went on to announce that there were two changes in the staff. Professor Grubbly-Plank had apparently replaced Hagrid, who had not appeared at all during dinner. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was the fat toad of a woman, Umbridge.
After not quite so politely interrupting Dumbledore, Umbridge stood up to make a speech. "Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge grinned, "for those kind words of welcome."
The students stared at her in thinly veiled disgust. She had interrupted the Headmaster for this?
"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" The owner of the pink cardigan smiled again, revealing sharp pointy teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!"
Seifer grunted quietly. "Is she fucking serious? I thought you were bad, Instructor." Surprisingly, Trepe seemed to share his sentiments about Umbridge (she had struck Harry as the type of person to love all Professors).
"…I'm sure we will become very good friends!"
"What the hell is she on, anyways? Gyshal Greens? There is a reason why it is meant only for Chocobos, you know."
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards…"
"Wizards?" Dincht this time. "What's a wizard and why the hell are they educating witches?"
Hermione looked highly affronted at this. "I'll have you know that you are in a room full of witches and wizards."
Seifer glanced around, looking for a strange looking woman. "What in Shiva's name are you talking about?"
Quistis seemed to have figured it out so she explained it to Seifer and Zell. "I think that witches are different here, I don't think that the term is synonymous with 'Sorceress'. I also think that 'wizards' are the male form of witches. My last thought is that everyone in this room are witches and wizards."
Ron stared at them in amazement. "How can you be going to this school and not know what witches and wizards are? Do you even know what magic is?"
"Of course," Seifer said gruffly. "Everyone knows what magic is."
Dean Thomas stared at him. "Did you hit your head somewhere? Only people who can perform magic and a few select muggles know about magic. Oh, and squibs."
"Muggles? Squibs?" Zell asked.
"Muggles are non magic folk while Squibs are people without magic born to a magical family."
Quistis sighed in aggravation. It seemed that they had a lot of catching up to do in this world and it wasn't going to be easy. There was also the added problem that their leader was missing. Grudgingly, she admitted that Rinoa was gone as well.
Where were they?
AN: I changed my mind… I am actually going to post this now (after a quick read through for any major mistakes- have I ever told anyone how handy a beta would be?). As a repeat I am going to post this as the second chapter to see which one people like better as the first chapter. Please, tell me which one you prefer.
Toodles!
