Okay, so, I decided to try and give the 'Harry as Cloud Strife' idea a whirl, and, well, after completing two chapters, I feel it's not working out. Part of it is dealing with the harem, always a tricky thing to deal with, but I also have problems with Harry basically abandoning his friends right in the middle of the Battle of Hogwarts, when Voldemort isn't dead.

Let's put it this way. I may yet come back to this story, and soon, but honestly, I want to go after my other idea, where a post-Hogwarts Harry and Delphi end up in the Final Fantasy VII world, with an eventual Harry/Aerith pairing. I do have some ideas on how to revise this story idea (which will probably involve ditching the harem angle, or at least dropping Aerith, possibly by having Harry-Cloud actually save Zack), but for now, I'm resting it.

That being said, I've been replaying Final Fantasy VII Remake in anticipation of playing Rebirth. And because it's the PS5 version this time around, I get to play the INTERmission chapters. I have mixed feelings about it so far. I wish they had put the Fort Condor minigame in the main game, myself, and Yuffie has at least been given a little more texture, and her battle gameplay is fun. On the other hand, I feel that both she and Sonon are somewhat blinkered lumping Midgar and Shinra together, that they'd be content with Midgar suffering along with Shinra because of what was done to Wutai. I heard that Yuffie gets a wake-up call at the end, but honestly, I want someone to smack some sense into them both. Plus, Yuffie's still an obnoxious brat too often.

Still, that's given me an idea for a challenge, based on a story idea I had ages ago but never wrote up, so keep an eye out in the usual forums.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy what I've written for this story so far. Hopefully, if and when I do a revised version, you'll like that too.


CLOUDY DAYS FOR HARRY POTTER

CHAPTER 1:

A MEETING OF OLD FRIENDS…OR NOT

The density of the crowds in the Sector 7 Slums was so great, Tifa Lockhart nearly missed seeing him. And yet, when she glimpsed that distinctive spiky coif of blonde hair, her heart damn near skipped a beat. Someone she hadn't seen for many, many years…was it him?

She got closer to where she saw it, and was rewarded by a short if athletic figure, clad in a rather familiar uniform. And having a very familiar sword on his back. That wedge of metal…that was the sword Zack had carried with him during that fateful week in Nibelheim. She regretted her words to him, if only because Zack, unlike Sephiroth, had been nothing but helpful.

But his face in profile…it was him, wearing a pensive, even confused expression. All grown up now. No longer that kid she barely knew in Nibelheim, the one who was all but shunned by the community, him and his mother. She never knew why her father seemed to have it in for Cloud, and she supposed she never would now, though she suspected it had something to do with the fall she suffered and the coma she was in for a time, shortly after her mother died. And there were his blue eyes, well, she could only see one of them. Was the eye she saw glowing somewhat? Like Zack's?

"Cloud?" she asked quietly, or as quietly as she could without it being drowned out by the nearby crowds. "Is that you?"

Cloud blinked, before he turned to Tifa. And she nearly recoiled. Because while one of his eyes was still that sky blue she remembered, the other was now a dark green, an emerald that seemed to glow like that of a member of SOLDIER.

He blinked, before he asked, as if uncertain, "…You're…Tifa, aren't you? Tifa Lockhart?"

Tifa knew something was wrong. It was Cloud's voice, but the accent was different. "…Cloud? Don't you remember me? What's wrong with you?"

After a moment, Cloud, or whom she suspected to be Cloud, sighed. "Look, umm…Tifa? That's a very simple question with a very complicated answer. And I only just got away from where Shinra left me for dead after murdering Zack. I was trying to find the Sector 5 Slums, he had a girlfriend there who needs to hear the bad news, but…I guess finding you first works out."

His expression seemed solemn, and Tifa, while not sure if this was some trick by Shinra, needed to know. That this was Cloud, or at least whatever the truth was. After a moment, she said, "Okay, I'm guessing there's a long story. So, I've got a place we can talk it out. I was just placing an order for stock for my bar."

"…Sure. I'm old enough to have a drink now, and I think it's past time I got started after everything I've been through…"


Barret was playing with his daughter Marlene when Tifa brought Cloud back. She noticed the burly dark-skinned man tensing, but she made a few discreet signs that, for now, Cloud wasn't a danger. Cloud, meanwhile, looked to Barret, and then to Marlene. He tried to shoot her a gentle smile. The shy little girl shied away, but otherwise didn't seem to be too frightened by Cloud.

"Barret, this is my friend from Nibelheim, Cloud Strife," Tifa said. "Cloud, this is Barret Wallace. He helps me run the bar."

"And toss out troublesome customers?" Cloud asked, before noting the gun prosthetic on the burly man's arm. "What in Merlin's name…?"

"And who's this Merlin guy you're talkin' 'bout?" Barret demanded, peering at Cloud suspiciously. "And that SOLDIER get-up…"

Tifa noted, with some surprise, that Cloud held up his hands. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm just here to touch base with Tifa. And before you ask, no, I'm not with Shinra, in fact, I just got away from where they murdered a member of SOLDIER who died saving my comatose self! He gave me his spare clothes, and bequeathed his sword to me just as he died. You want me gone after I talk with Tifa, then that's fine."

After a moment, Barret nodded, before pointing his finger at Cloud. "Just so we're clear, then. I'm keepin' an eye on you. Don't mess up."

As he went over to a corner of the bar, Cloud sat at the bar, and Tifa asked, "Do you mind if I give you something non-alcoholic? I mean, if you really did see Zack die…it might be a bad time to start drinking."

To her relief, he nodded. "Any recommendations?"

"A Virgin Golden Chocobo," Tifa said. "Iced tea and lemonade(1)."

He smiled. "Sure. Why not?"

Tifa decided to give him a show, using something of the flair bartending skills she had learned to mix up his drink. But even as she juggled cocktail shakers and bottles, she watched him. And she found herself disturbed. Cloud was a sullen kid, rarely smiling, and while he did smile, it wasn't as lugubrious as his smile was at the moment. It looked like a different person was using his face.

But on the other hand, she could tell he was trying to work up the nerve to tell her something. While he did say he was trying to look for Zack's girlfriend in the Sector 5 Slums, he did come with her as soon as she offered. Why did she feel so apprehensive? What was he going to tell her?

She finished making his mocktail, mixed up a drink of her own, and brought up a stool behind the bar. Thankfully, there weren't any customers in at this time, so hopefully, she could listen to his explanation. "So…the complicated answer?" she prompted.

After a moment, and a thoughtful sip from the glass, Cloud said, "…I don't know what happened to your friend, Tifa. I have Cloud's body, and his memories, along with some of Zack's, but…I'm not Cloud Strife."

…What? This sounded like a joke. A bad joke nobody but the cruellest would laugh at. Yet Tifa couldn't do anything but stare at him, before she finally said, "…Then who the hell are you?"

"…My name is Harry Potter, and, well, I come from another world entirely…"


Magic on our world was hidden, and we didn't use Materia to do it. We didn't have Shinra or Mako Reactors, though what we had in terms of corporations was bad enough. I was born in a country called Britain.

And as it turned out, I was a wizard.

Long story short, when I was a year old, a wizarding terrorist calling himself Voldemort murdered my parents. I was sent to live with relatives, relatives who…didn't like me, to say the least. And then, I found out at the age of eleven that I was famous.

I had many adventures, many fun, and too many not so fun. But Voldemort came back from the dead, and took over Magical Britain. I fought in a battle to stop him, but learned I had to sacrifice myself to ensure he was dead for good.

In…well, some weird limbo that looked like a train station, I met the man who I once considered a mentor, Professor Dumbledore. He told me the truth about what had happened, and said I had a choice, to go back to the world of the living, or I could cross over to the other side. I had a choice.

Yet for all my life, I had little choice. I'd been lied to and manipulated, by people I thought were friends and allies. The people of Magical Britain couldn't decide whether I was their hero or a new Dark Lord on the rise. I had few actual friends, and after so long fighting and being on the run, I was tired of it all. I knew my allies had a fighting chance to put paid to Voldemort for once and for all. I decided, instead of going back, I would cross over, perhaps be with my family and loved ones.

I remember getting on a train, shooting one last glare at Dumbledore, who had stage-managed my life, and yet hadn't allowed me to live, before departing. I thought it was over. I thought I could be with my parents, my godfather.

But then, things got weird.

The next thing I know, I'm waking up in someone else's body, floating around like a pickle in a jar. Only, the pickle jar was a tank filled with some glowing green shit I would later learn was called Mako. And I was struggling to deal with not just my own memories, but someone else's.

I dunno whether it's much comfort, Tifa, but Cloud was at Nibelheim when Sephiroth went on the rampage. He didn't get into SOLDIER, though. Instead, he was one of Shinra's troops, hiding his face in shame because he wanted to come home as a SOLDIER, not as a grunt. He also attacked Sephiroth, forcing him to retreat.

But afterwards…well, the memories aren't that clear. Zack talked to me after he escaped and dragged us out of Nibelheim, said something about some whackjob called Hojo experimenting on us. He also said I was catatonic thanks to Mako Poisoning. He even said in extreme examples, someone with Mako Poisoning loses their soul to the Lifestream. Maybe that's what happened to Cloud. I think he was trying to talk to me to keep me, well, Cloud sane.

I was useless during the escape. My mind was being assaulted by all the whispering voices from the Mako Poisoning. I'm not sure I'm entirely sane anymore.

I woke to the sound of battle. Of gunfire and swordplay. Zack, I would later learn, courtesy of his memories, fought a whole damn army of Shinra troopers and SOLDIER. He fought to the bitter end, to save his freedom…and my own. The Shinra forces thought I'd be soon dead of Mako Poisoning.

After Zack died, I buried him. I was still coming to terms with having three sets of memories: mine, Cloud's, and Zack's. It took me a few days to recover enough to head into the city. I wasn't sure exactly where the Sector 5 Slums were, Zack's memories of Midgar were pretty fragmentary, but I hoped to be able to find someone to give me directions. However, people tend to stay away from the guy with glowing mismatched eyes and a huge sword.

And then, you came along…


Harry Potter…yes, he still thought of himself as Harry Potter, even with this body he'd inadvertently stolen. Harry Potter looked up into the rich mahogany eyes of Tifa Lockhart. Cloud and Zack's memories were of a beautiful dark-haired teenager, dressed up in a cowgirl outfit, but now, she was a woman grown, her body athletic from her martial arts training. He also tried to avoid his eyes straying to her prodigious bust. No doubt she got a lot of that from patrons at her bar.

He wasn't sure how well she would take the truth. But he didn't want to hide it from someone who was one of the few people Cloud gave a damn about. True, it was a crush the blonde boy had on the dark-haired girl, not helped by the childhood promise they had made. But Harry had ended up taking over Cloud's body. He didn't know why, and he only suspected vaguely how.

But he owed it to the blonde's memories to be truthful with probably the only living person he'd had a connection to. His father was absent, presumed dead. His mother Claudia had died during Sephiroth's rampage. Sephiroth was missing presumed dead, and had gone murderously insane. Zack had died just shy of Midgar. Tifa was the only survivor of Nibelheim now, pretty much.

Harry watched Tifa's expression, full of turmoil. Dismay, disbelief, disconcerting emotions warred on her face. Eventually, a sad smile touched her lips, and she nodded, as if coming to a decision. Harry knew better than to assume she believed him, but perhaps things would work out in the…

"BARRET!" she screamed suddenly, getting the burly, dark-skinned man who looked like a Mr T ripoff with a gun for his right arm, to stand up. "COULD YOU DO ME A SOLID, AND GET ME THE NUMBER OF AN EXORCIST?!"

Even as Harry recoiled from her shouting, which was part-angry, part-despairing, and part-frightened, he reflected that he should have expected a bad reaction like that. He hadn't noticed that Barret was so close, along with that Marlene girl. Had he been listening in?

"Hey, Tifa, hold on a sec," Barret said, holding up his hands. Well, a hand and a minigun grafted onto his arm. "Calm the actual hell down. I don't know of any exorcists around the slums anymore."

"What about Manny? I've seen his flyers around Sector 7!"

"He tried exorcising the Train Graveyard," Barret said. "It didn't end well. I'm not gonna repeat the details in front of Marlene, only that what they found of him a few months back would fit into a shoebox. Besides…well, I can't believe I'm playin' Devil's Advocate for some Shinra stooge, but…well, a Shinra spy would make somethin' up that's more believable. Don't get me wrong, I don't trust him, but…he told you that instead of keepin' it secret. It's unbelievable, yeah, but…let's put it this way. He may be fakin' it, but he doesn't sound like he's in your friend's body by choice, and once people return to the Planet, they don't come back."

"I know that, Barret, but…" Tifa's voice was thick with emotion, with grief and anger. "…It's his body. It's Cloud's body, his body is still alive, and this guy is wearing him like a meatsuit, and talking about his memories like they happened to someone else and…and…excuse me a moment." Her mahogany eyes glistening with tears, she went out the back.

After a moment, Harry sighed. "Sorry about that. I just hate having stuff kept from me, so I thought she'd appreciate the truth. I didn't think it would end well, either, but…I owed it to him."

"Naw, man, I get it," Barret said, hefting his daughter (was she adopted? She looked as pale as Barret was dark-skinned) onto a meaty shoulder. "Don't get me wrong, your story sounds absolutely insane, but…if you are tellin' the truth, and honestly, someone trying to mess with her would come up with something more believable, well, Cloud got messed up by Shinra, and by Professor Hojo. It ain't your fault. A bit weird that you're walkin' around in someone else's body like a secondhand suit, but you don't look at all happy 'bout it either. I mean, you could be fakin' it and all, but I'd be able to accept that you're tellin' the truth. Though can you do magic?"

"Tried doing it. Something about Cloud's body or my ending up in it messed it up," Harry said. He aimed his hand at a plastic tumbler on the bar counter, thankfully empty, and said, "Accio." The tumbler didn't move. "Accio." It quivered. "Accio!"

The tumbler sped through the air and hit Harry in the head, bouncing off into a sink behind the bar with a loud clatter. He nearly fell off the bar stool, and he knew he was going to get a goose-egg where it hit. Marlene clapped, while Barret stared at him. "Holy sh…Shiva," he said, presumably not wanting to swear in front of his daughter. "Never saw any human do that without Materia."

"Yeah, well…my magic is still messed up. So, Mr Wallace…who are you to Tifa?"

"…Look, call me Barret. We ain't friends by any means, but callin' me Mr Wallace makes me think of my late father, gods rest his soul," Barret said. "And, well, Tifa helps me and my friends out, as well as babysitting Marlene when I'm workin'. I don't feel like tellin' you much else, on account of we only just havin' met."

Harry nodded. "Fair enough. I'm guessing the minigun you have instead of an arm is part of that?"

"Damn straight it is," Barret said.

Harry shrugged and kept sipping the Virgin Golden Chocobo. "As long as you don't hurt innocent people in whatever you do, I don't really care."

A grunt came from Barret, who went into another part of the bar, playing darts while his daughter looked on. Eventually, soon after Harry had drained the glass dry, Tifa walked out, her eyes bloodshot. She'd clearly been crying. She stood in front of Harry, across the bar counter, and met his gaze.

"Okay…I'll be honest. I'm not happy about this. For all I know, you're Cloud with his memories messed up by Hojo, and even if you are telling the truth, the fact remains that you're walking around in my friend's body. At best, that is creepy and awkward. At worst…"

"Look, I get it, I had a bit of Voldemort's soul stuck in me, I wasn't exactly chuffed to learn that, and I'm not happy about this, either," Harry said.

Tifa nodded. "But…for now, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. So, I'm going to do you a solid or two. Firstly, I'm going to have you set up with Marle. She's the landlady of a nearby apartment building, and you need somewhere to stay for now. Secondly, I'll take you to Sector 5 early tomorrow, I know a few ways to get there quickly. After that, well, who knows? The slums are always in need of someone to kill off the local monsters when they get too cheeky."

"…Okay, thanks," Harry said. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

"…Yeah, well, you're not the only one…"

CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. Harry has met Tifa and Barret in Cloud's body, and he's made waves already.

Now, there seems to be about a two month gap between Zack's death (in late September) and, more or less, when Cloud was found by Tifa, as the Section 1 Reactor Bombing happens in early December, and Cloud has clearly only just reunited with Tifa, something made even clearer in the remake. Harry has recovered (psychologically) sooner. True, he's still a mess, riddled with some guilt as to whether his decision was the right one and that he could have done more to save Zack, never mind being in Cloud's body, but his identity is far more stable than Cloud's. He knows which memories are Zack's, which ones are Cloud's (for the most part), and which ones are his own.

Now, keep in mind, the characters, for the most part, are mostly based on their remake counterparts, but with elements of the original game as well as Team Four Star's Final Fantasy VII Machinabridged. One character, though, who will be closer to the original will be Tifa.

Now, Tifa, I felt, was made too wimpy in the remake. Yes, she's still badass, but I had Tifa in mind as a somewhat tomboyish character, and nothing in the relevant media before the remake was released suggested otherwise. So here, I've brought her back to some degree to what I thought she'd be like, with elements of the remake, as well as, you've probably noticed, elements of the TFS Tifa.

That being said, TFS' take on Tifa was an abusive and manipulative sociopath at best, and the fact that she undertakes such abusive behaviour after Cloud thinks she was meant to do so is disturbing. So while I'll be taking some catchphrases, lines, and a short temper off TFS Tifa, she'll be closer to canon.

Her reaction to Harry is understandable. She finds it hard to believe him, and on top of that, if he is telling the truth, there's someone walking around in the body of her friend, or at least friendly acquaintance. But after the initial upset, she's decided to make the most of it. He at least told her what happened at Nibelheim, that her supposed hallucination of her friend helping her after she was attacked by Sephiroth was no hallucination.

But she's decided to keep him close by anyway. She's hoping that the original Cloud will resurface, and truth be told, she realises what Barret said, that if Harry was telling the truth, it isn't his fault.

Why is Barret being nice to Harry-Cloud? He overheard Harry's story, and while Barret is impulsive, hot-headed, and has a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later, he's not an idiot. Not entirely, anyway. Unlike Cloud, who seemed to go out of his way to be combative in a passive-aggressive way, Harry is trying to be a little more conciliatory.

Manny the Exorcist is actually meant to be a reference to Manny from the sitcom Black Books, played by Bill Bailey. Bill Bailey would fit in well into the remake, wouldn't he?

Oh, and BTW, there's no Whispers/Arbiters of Fate, at least protecting the timeline, as opposed to protecting the Planet alongside Weapons, and no time-travelling Sephiroth either.

1. I looked up a list of mocktails. A Virgin Golden Chocobo is basically what we'd call on Earth an Arnold Palmer.