Title: Lover Reborn
Author: Excalibur's Fire
FanFiction: Harry Potter X Final Fantasy VIII
Pairings: HPxDM (Past), HPXSeifer Almasy
Warnings: Slash, there is boy/boy love in this, if you don't like that please don't read, you yelling at me about it isn't going to change my mind on it so it is just moo point (like a cow's opinion, it doesn't matter, lol)
Rating: K (just to be safe, but I doubt it will get that high)
Disclaimer: Neither Harry Potter world nor Final Fantasy VIII worlds belong to me, if they did there would be a lot more man on man loving, ('cause that shite is hot,)
Chapter 3
Harry watched as his blood dripped on the runes drawn on the ground, he could hear Voldemort screaming in the background and just as he felt someone grabbing his arm the runes glowed a dangerous red colour before turning black. He lifted his head, connecting forest green with blood red snake eyes and smirked before everything went black as the runes reacted.
Harry was floating, he couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not because everything that he tried showed white. He couldn't feel his body; did he have a body anymore? Harry's mind flashed back, he must be dead; he had ruined the runes that Voldemort was using by adding his own, extremely powerful, willingly given, blood to the ritual making it unstable and causing it to destroy everything around it. He regretted not being able to save the prisoners, but he didn't know how to stop the ritual except by stopping it before or after, and he had arrived too late to stop it from being started.
His mind eventually drifted to his life, before dying his life hadn't flashed before his eyes, he had actually been looking forward to that, hoping he would be able to see all his loved ones again before he died, all of his friends that were still alive and who's souls he wouldn't see here for some time yet, and the souls that were released through the veil. No one knew what happened to the souls that went through the veil, if they joined all other souls when a being passes on or if they are lost. He wanted to see his parents and Sirius, but mostly he wanted Draco.
Draco's face sprang up in the white before his eyes. Visions of them together; when they first met at Madame Maulkin's shop and Draco rude tone, when they dueled together in the Dueling Club in second year, when Hermione punched him in third year, his scared face cornering Harry in the infirmary asking if He was really back in forth year, terrified grey eyes meeting green across a torture chamber promising freedom in fifth year, passion filled eyes looking down into his when they first made love in sixth year, 'forever and a day' just before he is walked through the veil in seventh year. Harry's eyes and chest burned from the emotions that the images produced.
Harry Potter, you have been judged by Magik, and we have found you deserving. A voice echoed through the white-scape of his mind where he floated peacefully. You have done Magik a great favour in the stopping of Thomas Marvolo Riddle's ritual and have been given a second chance at life. You will be sent with your body and memories intact to a new world where you will have another opportunity with your lover reborn. You will be held here for 18 years for your soul-mate to reach your age. We hope that your life ends better this time favoured one. The voice of Magik softened at the end and Harry felt a kiss land gently on his scar as the white faded to black.
The next time that Harry can to consciousness a soft blue glow invaded his eyes.
"Hello young one." A woman's melodic voice greeted him.
As Harry's eyes focused he saw that the voice belonged to a blond haired woman, but his face began to heat up in blush as he saw the rest of her. Her body was covered only barely with shells covering the most intimate of sites, it reminded him of the muggle portraits of mermaids in that aspect, but she had long, slender, pale legs; that ruled out half-fish.
"My name is Siren, young Harry Potter, and this at my side is Carbuncle." She motioned to the green creature with a ruby jewel in his forehead at her side. "We are what are called Guardian Forces, or GFs. Once a human has proved themselves to us we can allow them to call upon our powers in battle to assist them. You will be staying with us for the years that it takes for your soul-mate to grow to an appropriate age for you."
Harry was confused, he just woke up, he was surrounded by 'Guardian Forces' which are used in battle, and apparently he needed to stay here for 18 years if what Magik and this 'woman' told him was true.
"No, no, no! I need to go to him now! Draco! Draco!" Harry was starting to panic, maybe this was all a trick, a trap. Maybe he didn't die, he didn't kill Voldemort and he was being held here for some twisted purpose.
"Calm yourself Harry Potter. He has just recently been born here and as he ages you will be able to watch him, but not influence him or his choices; and before you go to him you will have more in depth visions of him, but you will not know everything about him, you will need to get to know him again. His soul may be that of your loved one, but he has had a whole new life here, with all new experiences. But, do not worry yourself overly, time here with us will pass quickly, and you will soon be with him again." The sweet sound of her voice was making it hard to concentrate; now he knew why she was known as Siren.
Harry was already planning his big escape to find Draco's soul when two more GFs entered the room.
"What do you want now?" Apparently Carbuncle was not a fan of the new entries.
"We heard that there was a human here and we wanted to see him. Is that a crime now Carbuncle?" The large dragon-man drawled as his eyes automatically went to Harry lying in the white sheeted bed.
His companion walked towards the bed, studying the tiny human. "I am Diablos. And this is Bahamut." His voice hissed. It matched his body perfectly. He was nearly 8 feet tall with large black leathery wings and horns on the top of his head, his body was a mixture of red and the purest of blacks.
Before Harry could stop himself he was nodding. "Yeah, if I had one guess I would have guessed Diablos as well." Of course, once he realized what he had just said to this creature he froze, his eyes widening and his breath began coming faster as he heard a sibilant hissing sound. After a few seconds he realized that Diablos was laughing, while beside him Bahamut pounded on his shoulder and let out a loud bark laugh.
"I already like this kid!" Bahamut laughed. "How are you feeling, are you ready to be up and around?" At Harry's insistent nod he walked over and helped Harry stand up to the disapproving scowls of Siren and Carbuncle. "Come on, let's go meet everyone then." He smirked over his shoulder at the two as he led Harry away.
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Harry spent the next 18 years living with the GFs wherever it is that they live (they were constantly avoiding answering that question for him) and never aging a day. He talked with them when he was lonely, he trained with them when he was bored, he grew to care for them as a family and knew that he would miss their constant presences when he left, but he also knew that he would get to see them again every time they were summoned around him, and from what he had heard of human's lives so far it was more than likely he would be seeing them often.
Just before he was to rejoined the humans in their realm, he was sadly bidding his new family good-bye, ('No, see you later.' Sacred, the younger of the Brothers corrected.), when Diablos and Bahamut handed him a small box. Harry cocked an eyebrow at the duo before cautiously opening it up, he was pleasantly surprised not to find some prank but a real gift, sometimes they reminded him too much of the Weasley twins that he needed to always keep on his toes. A huge smile broke across his face as he lifted a necklace out of the box; it had a silver chain and hanging from the middle of the chain was a lightning bolt shaped emerald with silver veins around it like vines.
He turned his smile to them and Diablos began to explain in his hissing voice. "We have each put a piece of out essence into the emerald. Not enough for you to be able to summon us during a regular battle, enough for us to come when you truly need us."
Harry had to shake his head to clear tears that were threatening to appear, he knew that he would never live it down if he cried at this time; but he didn't hold himself back when he threw himself into Diablos' arms to give him a hug. The strong arms and wings wrapped around him gently but giving him a firm, but brief, squeeze. Neither Diablos nor Bahamut would admit how much they were going to miss the kid, but Harry knew anyway.
After giving his final hug to Bahamut he stepped back and, after giving everyone one last smile, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. I'm ready now Magik.
Suddenly, through his mind visions began flashing quickly by. An infant being left on a doorstep in the middle of the night before a figure in a black jacket with the hood up disappears into the darkness, a small boy of 4 or 5 wearing a dirty grey T-shirt colouring a picture with a green crayon, a boy of 8 in a uniform struggling to pick up a sword with a trigger his face lighting up, a boy of 13 or 14 kissing his first girl behind a stack of books in the library, a boy of 16 kissing his first boy behind a group of trees in a small courtyard, a boy of 18 sitting alone looking into the stars.
The face of the boy whose life he just flashed through sprang to the front of his mind. Blond hair catching the sun, grey mischievous eyes daring him to do something, and on his pinks lips a smirk, not a 'Malfoy' smirk but a 'Draco smirk', one that was all his own. But despite those facts there were differences, his face had filled out and wasn't so gaunt, his eyes weren't haunted by deaths that he was witnessed. This young boy he had watched grow, could he be Draco? No, Harry thought sadly, he couldn't be 'Draco', but there wasn't anything saying they couldn't grow to love each other like he and Draco loved, creating a new love all of their own.
Harry felt a slight wind ripple through his shirt and opened his eyes. He immediately closed them again and let out of scream of terror and pain as the large pair of jaws that he saw coming towards him knocked him to the ground and closed on his leg. As the beast got a good grip on him and began to shake him like a dog would shake a rat he opened his eyes one last time and saw a glimpse of blond in the woods. I don't really see how this is necessary Harry thought before he lost consciousness.
He surfaced just minutes later to the lingering presence of Shiva and a soft voice and firm hands quickly bandaging his leg. He listened to the voice that he had been dreaming about for 20 years and without opening his eyes he said, "I knew you would come for me again, Grey." And then fell back into the darkness.
He woke again later feeling completely worn out and in pain, but heard soft breathing beside him. He turned his head as far as he could to the side and looked at the sleeping figure out of the corner of his eye. With the shadow of a smile and a silent thank you to Magik he fell asleep again.
DMxHP SAxHP
The next time he woke it was with a groan, apparently all doctors used that same trick; by turning up the light a patient will groan in pain when they wake up, he clearly recalled Madame Pomfrey using that same trick on his countless times.
"My apologies young man." He heard accompanying the sound of curtains being pulled. As the light behind his eyelids dimmed he attempted opening them again with much more success, he squinted as a blurry figure made their way to the empty chair by his head. He watched as she picked up the clipboard on the small table beside his head before jotting down notes, he assumed she was noting the time he woke up.
"How are you feeling? Any large pains?" She asked as she set the board back down and pulled back the bed sheet; she began to gently prod the areas of his leg around the large cuts checking to make sure no infections had flared up.
"Now, my name is Doctor Kadowaki. I am the doctor here at Balamb Garden. You were brought here two days ago after being attacked by a T-Rexuar."
His eyes widened dramatically. He had been attacked by a dinosaur? He was in a world where dinosaurs weren't extinct? That was so COOL. When Harry was young and going to the muggle school before Hogwarts there was a dinosaur book that they were able to borrow during their silent reading time. All the boys wanted to read the Dino Book, and the only reason that Harry was able to read it was that one day all the students in his class had gone to the local pool for swimming lessons and water activities. His Aunt and Uncle didn't want to pay the 5 pounds that would have been required to pay for transportation to the pool for Harry, so he had to stay back at the school with the assistant teacher that day. He was allowed to read and draw all day as there was no point in learning anything new. When the teacher first told him he could read if he wanted, he had immediately run to the book shelf and grabbed the dinosaur book; he read that book three times cover to cover that day and had always dreamed of seeing them. When he learned he was a wizard he had become excited thinking that maybe he would get a chance to see a real life dinosaur, but apparently they were extinct in the magical community as well. But he had just been attacked by one!
"Yes, very advanced and very dangerous. It was not smart for you to be walking in an area where T-Rexuars roam, you are very lucky that two of our members were walking passed at the time." Dr. Kadowaki said misinterpreting his look.
"Who was it who saved me please?" Harry spoke for the first time to her. His Draco had lived a completely different life and knowing his name would be a good first step to knowing him.
"Two of our members who were walking passed on a training mission stepped in to help you; SeeD Xu Jung and SeeD Candidate Seifer Almasy. They we on their way through the forest when they heard your yells and the sound of a very angry T-Rexuar; SeeD Xu dispatched the monster as Candidate Seifer retrieved you from its grip and field bandaged you."
"They weren't hurt at all were they?" Harry asked sounding slightly panicked.
"No, Xu is a professional mercenary and was able to force its retreat without too much trouble. Some bruises and scratches were the most of her problems, Seifer was hit by the monster's tail and it caused deep tissue bruising in his abdomen, but he is fine now.
"Now, I'm going to need you to answer a few questions for me. We weren't able to find any ID of any kind on you so your chart has quite a few holes in it. Let's start with something easy, your name."
Harry started thinking quickly. This was his chance to start over, he had been Harry Potter for so long and very little good came from that name. The hatred of his relatives, the public's eye, a mad man after his life, and the death of everyone he cared about. No he didn't want to be Harry unless his soul-mate called him that, he loved hearing his name fall from Draco's lips and he could wait to know this Seifer better before hearing it from him.
"Verde. My name is Verde." Harry replied. After he started calling Draco 'Grey', he always said that if anyone should be named for their eye colour it should be Harry, they spent an entire afternoon with Ron and Hermione looking up different variations of 'green' or green related items in all different languages and 'Verde' was one that they all had liked. After that they had looked up different names for Hermione, Cocoa after her brown eyes, and for Ron, Azul after his blue eyes. They began using the names as code names when they were on missions. Hermione had found a charm that could be used in the same way as muggle walkie-talkies, when they are cast on you, you think about who it is you want to talk to, say their name (or code name) and talk. The voice would then appear in the ear of the person or people that you wanted to hear, but no one else.
"Alright Verde," she said, noting down the time that it took for him to think of his name, she wasn't going to hold her breath about him being able to answer the rest of her questions. "And where are you from?"
"I'm from Esthar." He recalled the name from his time living with the GFs.
"Good, and what were you doing in the forest at the time is attack?"
With some quick thinking Harry was able to come up with an answer. "I was trained by the Guard there, but always wanted to be a SeeD, so I was travelling here, hoping to make it in time for the SeeD Candidate field exam, I guess I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing." He knew that there was an exam coming up because in one of his visions of Seifer, he heard Seifer mention it, and as he was still 'Candidate' Harry hoped that the exam hadn't come yet.
"Hmm, yes, that is coming up in a few days. If you continue to heal at the rate that you are now I don't see why you can't go with them, although you may have to take a more passive position in the battle. But I am wondering what GFs you have equipped; you are healing at an extraordinary rate."
"Hmm?" Healing quickly? Harry was pretty sure that he didn't have any of the GFs equipped, another thing to set him apart. He made a quick decision not to let anyone know his little oddities though and replied, "Siren and Carbuncle."
As she nodded he let a small breath of relief out, he didn't know what each of them being equipped would do, but made an educated guess due to those two always looking after him when he was hurt or sick.
"That is all for now, do you have any questions for me?" She said as she placed his board back on the table by his head.
"Yes, I was wondering if anyone saw a pair of glasses when they rescued me? And I would like to meet the people who saved me please."
"No, a pair of glasses was not found with you, but I can get you set up after lunch if that is alright with you." She picked up his chart and made a quick note on the side before setting it back down. "And, I will talk to Xu and ask her to come, and I will ask Professor Trepe to ask Seifer to come down as well."
He nodded his head and settled back into the pillow to nap for a while longer. After living with Siren and Carbuncle, Harry learned not to run from a hospital wing, while Madame Pomfrey would yell at them, Siren and Carbuncle would get physical. If you wouldn't stay in the infirmary they would make it so you physically could not leave. Harry had thought this counterproductive at the beginning, but then he realized that once they put you back in the hospital again you weren't going to make another break for it; so in the long shot it worked much better; although Brothers and Ifirit would not leave him alone about the time that they found him hogtied with a black eye lying in the middle of the infirmary floor with Siren and Carbuncle standing over him smirking after his first and only attempted break out.
Harry woke later to Dr. Kadowaki gently shaking his shoulder.
"Verde, you need to wake up and eat something before I check your eyes. SeeD Xu has also stopped by to see you."
Harry blinked sleepily and pushed himself into a sitting position while a brown haired young woman helped him by putting a few more pillows behind his back.
"Thank you. SeeD Xu?" He asked.
"Yes, but you can just call me Xu, the SeeD title is just for formal occasions." She smiled showing straight white teeth. "How are you feeling Verde? We were worried about you for a while. You have some colour back in your cheeks, that's a good sign."
"Yes, thanks to you and Seifer I am. I wouldn't have lasted much longer if you hadn't helped me. And I hear that you took on the T-Rexuar single handed as Seifer risked himself to pull me away. From what I have heard of that particular monster I am very much in your debt."
A tinkling laugh followed, "Oh, I just distracted it enough for Seifer to get you out of there and then called Shiva, she took care of the rest for me. I have never seen her attack so hard before." Xu fell silent, thinking back on the report that she gave Headmaster Cid.
"Sir." Xu stood at attention saluting the Headmaster sitting before her.
"At ease SeeD. Report please."
"Candidate Almasy and myself were traveling through the forest to draw Cure, while being sure to avoid and T-Rexuars in the area, just as we were leaving the forest we heard a man's yell and the sound of a very angry T-Rexuar. Both of us pulled our weapons and quietly, but quickly, went towards the noise. I told Seifer that he was not to engage the T-Rexuar, but to leave it to me, while he pulled the victim away. You could tell that he wanted to argue, that he could take on the monster too, but he didn't, he accepted my order. I distracted the monster and as I saw Seifer begin to make his move towards the man I began my Shiva summoning. She came much quicker than normal, with Seifer just barely making it out before she released her attack. And her attack! It was more powerful and, and, and angry than I have ever seen it before. It was as if the T-Rexuar had done something to personally offend her. She not only did her normal attack, but actually sent another barrage of icicle spears at it after she was done. Seifer didn't see her attack, his back was to her and his concentration was fully on helping the man. I haven't mentioned it to anyone else."
"Good, let's keep this quiet until we know more about it. I will try and talk to her, but you know how GFs think of humans, it might be hard to get any information out of her."
"Xu?" A small voice broke through her thoughts. "Are you alright?"
After blinking herself back into the present Xu replied in the affirmative before smiling once more at the strange boy who was just finishing the rest of his lunch. "So Verde, I heard that you were trained by the guards in Esthar? What was that like?"
"Oh, you know, it was training. Cardio right in the mornings, then weapons training after a light breakfast, lunch, then laws and politics and finally specialized training just before dinner time. It was a full but satisfying life." Harry smoothly made up a daily schedule based partially on his final years in Great Britain and partially on his years with the Guardians Forces.
"Wow, you must be very good then. I heard Dr. Kadowaki say that you were originally coming here to take your SeeD exam. It's strange that they didn't send a message of any kind before you came." He just shrugged at that, not knowing what else to say. "Well, when you get out of here we can give you a test to see if you qualify to do it. I guess tomorrow I can bring the written exam and supervise your writing it, and once you are free we will have a quick scrimmage and see if you are physically capable to go on the field exam. It might be a bit tight though, as the field exam is due to run in four days; but I hear that if you continue to heal at the rate you are then you will be fine to do the exam. So make sure to rest as much as you can." She looked over her shoulder as the doctor came to the door of his room. "I think that it is time for your eye appointment, I'll see you tomorrow Verde."
With one more wave and a polite nod to the doctor Xu disappeared through the door and back to her duties.
The doctor came in with a small gadget that looked like a pair of binoculars and a book and sat in the seat that Xu had just vacated.
"I hope that you had a nice chat with Xu, she's such a nice girl. Now, here this is a book of frames that we can look through after I show you how this optoautometer works."
An hour later Dr. Kadowaki stood to go with a promise that the glasses will be ready by the morning, she left him starring at the ceiling for another two hours before a young woman came in with a dinner tray for him to eat. She sat and talked with him while he ate, she was telling him all about how she had just transferred Gardens as well and that she was always getting lost because this one was much larger then her last. She talked with him until she noticed him trying to fight back a yawn, she then excused herself for the evening and after Harry bid his new friend goodbye and asked her to come back and talk to him again she took the tray with her.
'What a strange name, Selphie…' Was Harry's last thought before he fell asleep again.
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Elsewhere in Garden, Quistis Trepe found Seifer and told him that at some point in the next few days he should go and see the man in the hospital wing; that he wanted to extend his thanks personally.
Seifer walked away from her shaking his head, he found his feet unconsciously tracing the way to the secret room in the back of the Training Center, all the while avoiding people, where he sat down with his back to the wall, after fisting both his hands into his short blond hair he let them fall across his knees before looking up at the darkening sky. No, Seifer wasn't going to go and meet the mystery man; it was becoming far too weird. All Seifer wanted was to get through the SeeD Field Exam and get sent on a mission, preferably far away from him. Even thinking about him made Seifer's head ache, strange thoughts and visions popped up and he didn't like it, but more importantly it made his chest hurt to think about him. Just the thought of this man injured physically hurt him, he was positive he didn't know the man, and this wasn't a common reaction for him, he was one of the more unempathetic people he knew; he didn't care about other people's injuries, except this man apparently and he didn't want to find out why, he would just avoid him, and when the man got better he would leave Garden and Seifer wouldn't have to see him anymore.
Seifer fell asleep to visions of the man lying injured in the white bed of the infirmary.
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Hi everyone, sorry this chapter took so long to get out, as I mentioned in the last chapter I was just about to move, and apparently moving to a new city, a new school and having summer projects to do is not conducive to writing. But here it is, finally!
Sorry also that there was practically no Seifer in this chapter.
Next chapter: the Field Exam! I'm sure it will start speeding up then, I know it was a pretty lame chapter, but it will get better, just KEEP READING!
I would also like to say thanks to everyone for the favourite stories and story alerts! I do wish for a few more actual reviews though. So please, look deep inside your giant hearts and press the review button and leave something. I know it's annoying, I suck at leaving reviews myself, I usually go "WOOOO, that was great! Keep it up! WOOOO" See, that would work perfectly for me, lol. In fact, if you want, you can just copy and paste that to make it easier, lol
Thanks for reading everyone!
LOVE
Excalibur
