Outsider Chronicles: Soul in Red
A lot of people believe that being reborn as your favorite character would be fun, but I wonder how many of you actually think about what that would mean? It wouldn't be cool, it'd be annoying and, quite possibly, lethal. On the other hand, there are plenty of skills I can pick up in this world to make sure that I don't end up dead in a ditch. This is gonna be fun!
And here we go with some more bullshit. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
After the bank, my first stop was the post office where I sent my reply back to Hogwarts, followed by the Trunk shop where I bought a multi-compartment trunk, an auto-shrinking charm and a featherlight charm to carry the huge amount of shit I was no doubt going to pick up. I also shelled out for an enchanted bookbag with similar enchantments. After that, I headed off to pick up stationary, potions supplies and a copper cauldron as the pewter ones still contained lead and I really didn't want to risk contamination. I also went to pick up a telescope and was pleasantly surprised to find that the shop sold Muggle style telescope in addition to the traditional ones. The shopkeeper told me that Muggleborns who knew there stuff tended to buy the former and Purebloods tended to buy the latter, although they were basically the same.
In the bookshop I bought the all the books on my list and, once I had them all, I started wondering around the bookstore, looking for anything that caught my eye and possibly something that would give me some idea of what to expect. I didn't find much, although I did stumble on a book on Beings that revealed that the other races that called Eorzea home were in fact a thing, albeit under different names and a fuck ton of racism from whatever dick wrote the book, forcing me to read between the lines to figure most of it out. I also discovered some books in a dark corner of the shop on various arts of both Physical and Magical in nature that revealed that the races weren't the only things from Final Fantasy present in this world, among which was some entry level texts on Thaumaturgy, Conjary and advanced Arithmancy that was basically an Archenists base text. Since they were dirt cheap, I picked them up and made a note to see if I could learn anything from them. Tossing around Black Magics would be as handy as learning how to heal and I liked the idea of being able to summon a Carbuncle. That might require a bit of study though. I'm not good at Maths at the best of times and Magical Maths is no different.
With that done my next stop was to get my robes where I was sorted out without to much trouble as it was a rather slow day for the tailor before heading out to my final stop, Ollivanders.
The shop was small and dusty, but I could feel the magic in the air singing against my skin.
"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. From right behind me.
I nearly jumped a foot in the air and spun around to see Ollivander stood behind me with an amused twinkle in his eye, along with...something else.
"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter."
It wasn't a question. I shivered as the old man scanned me with his luminous eyes, apparently searching for something. Whatever it was and if he found it or not, I have no idea.
"It seems only yesterday your Mother and Father were in here buying their first Wands," he said, "Your father favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration."
He leaned even closer.
"Your Mother on the other hand...ah, she was a special one," he said, "Yes indeed. I could sense, even back then, that she would take her Magical studies a step further than almost anyone else in history. I sense that same potential in you my boy."
Mr. Ollivander moved closer to me, staring right into my eyes as he spoke, coming so close that he and I were almost nose to nose. I could see myself reflected in those misty eyes and I could smell his breath. Apparently he had eaten pickles recently. The odd and strangely normal scent served as excellent grounding for the strangeness of this encounter. I swallowed.
"Potential?" I asked, "What potential?"
Ollivander smiled faintly.
"You'll find out in time," he said, "For now, make sure you study the Black and the White as best you can."
I twitched, my fingers instinctively tightening around the strap of my bag.
"But for now, lets get you a wand," said Ollivander, suddenly turning around and heading over to the shelves, "I dare say you will require a new Focus sooner or later, but one of these will do for now. What is your dominant hand?"
"Um, my right," I said, trying to get my head around the sudden mental whiplash.
"Hold out your arm. That's it."
He measured me from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said:
"Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
I suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between my nostrils, was doing this on its own. I mean, I was sort of expecting it, but it was still pretty weird. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.
"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor, "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."
I did as I was told and the desk burst into flame.
"Ah, I think not," said Ollivander as he put out the fire, "Next we have…"
What followed was pretty much what you'd expect, with random stuff happening every time I flicked the wand I was handed, ranging from floods to fires to turning the spindle chair into a snake that Ollivander promptly vanished until finally…
"Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
I felt my heartbeat speed up as Harrys wand was revealed and handed to me. I took it, eager to see what would happen when…
THPPPPPPP.
I blinked as the wand let out a sound like a deflating balloon and literally went limp in my fingers.
"My, I've never seen such an impotent reaction," said Ollivander, taking the wand off me that immediately snapped back to rigidity.
"Was that a dick joke?" I asked.
I was ignored as Ollivander went back into the stacks and returned with another wand.
"Ahh, now this is a special one," he said, gently caressing the box, "I never believed that I would have a chance to even use this."
He carefully opened the box to reveal a wand made of pale wood with red veins. Ollivander plucked the wand from its resting place and, almost reverently, handed it to me. The moment my fingers closed around it, the wand practically sang and the shop was lit with a brilliant, crimson light. I couldn't stop the gasp of awe that escaped as I felt my magic surge and dance, creating a powerful wind that managed to make even more of a mess of the already destroyed shop.
"Very impressive my boy," said Ollivander as he cleaned up with a wave of his wand, "I have never seen a reaction quite like that. Then again, I suppose I should have been expecting it from someone who could bond with an Elder and Phoenix Feather Wand."
My eyebrows shot up. My Wand was made of Elder? Well...that was interesting. Something told me that was going to get me in trouble in the future. I didn't voice those worries however, instead I paid the creepy old man and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. I was tempted to go into the Magical Menagerie, but I honestly wasn't that interested in getting a pet right now. No offence to Hedwig or anything, but I didn't feel comfortable buying her when I knew she'd just end up locked in a cage whenever we were 'home'.
As I entered the pub, Tom glanced up and nodded, tossing me a key.
"Room 16," he said, "The menus in the room, as are breakfast times."
"Thanks," I said.
Tom nodded and smiled slightly as he turned back to polishing the glasses. I headed upstairs, found my room and immediately dove into my trunk to start devouring the books at a pace that would have made Hermione tell me to slow down a bit. I even made use of the fact I was in a high magic location and tried a number of spells, resulting in a number of explosions and botched Transfigurations that made me believe Tom made a point of enchanting the rooms against this very thing. Either that or he had some very efficient House Elves as most of the damage I inadvertently caused was gone the next morning. My attempts at Thaumaturgy certainly didn't help matters, but at least explosions were the point of most of those spells and I had plenty of opportunities to practice with Cure while I was at it.
Unfortunately, while I was doing reasonably well with Black and White Magic, the mathematical bases of Arcanum was causing me trouble. It was INCREDIBLY complex, to the point that I didn't even recognize half the symbols. Eventually, I gave up and dropped the book in my trunk. All I was doing with it was giving myself a headache. I'd see if I could find a use for it later, maybe after I had a better grounding in Arithmancy or something.
Considering all the stuff I was doing, it was no surprise that the remainder of the summer flew by. I didn't spend all my time in my room, but I made it a point to duck out of sight whenever I saw Hagrid or Mcgonagall come through. I had managed to fly under the radar so far and I really wanted to keep my anonymity a little longer.
Eventually, September the 1st rolled around and, after one last check that I hadn't forgotten anything, I shrank my Trunk and headed out, catching a cab to Kings Cross. I drew some odd looks as I made my way through the station, mainly due to my lack of obvious luggage. Despite the odd looks, I made it to the Barrier without incident and, after a quick glance around, stepped through onto the platform. I ghosted through the crowded platform, inwardly relishing the fact that I was still unknown. Exactly why that was I wasn't entirely sure since I was basically Harry Potter, even if I did lack the scar and glasses. Apparently I'd inherited more than just my eye colour from my Mum and my version was perfect.
Once on the train, it didn't take long to find a compartment and I settled in with a stack of books on various subjects. I would have done more practice of my more esoteric arts, but practicing with explosives in an enclosed space isn't very bright. Instead, I settled in to read a book on Magical crystals I'd found in a thrift store that was down right fascinating. I'd long realized that this world had more Final Fantasy than was normal, so I wasn't in the least bit surprised to find out that Materia were a thing. I was rather interested in possibly getting my hands on some to play with since they sounded rather interesting.
Shortly after the train started to move, I was interrupted by a timid knock at the door. I looked up and was mildly surprised to see the familiar head of bushy hair of a rather nervous looking Hermione Granger.
"Um, do you mind if I join you?" she asked.
"Not at all," I said, "Have a seat."
Hermione nodded in thanks and sat across from me after I helped her heave her trunk onto the luggage rack.
"Thank you," she said, "Um, I'm Hermione Granger."
"Harry Potter," I said.
"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course. I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."
"I read them too," I said, "And its all complete bullshit."
Hermione looked scandalized.
"Well how else are you supposed to take the idea of a five year old facing down a dragon without a wand?" I said before Hermione could respond.
The girl shut her mouth with a click and looked thoughtful.
"Thats...actually a good point," she said.
"First rule of research, take everything you read with a grain of salt," I said, "History is written by the victor, so its often a good idea to check with multiple sources before jumping to conclusions."
Hermione blushed and squirmed in her seat.
"Sorry," she said.
"Its fine."
For a moment, we sat in silence as I went back to my book and Hermione shifted uncomfortably, the only sound being the occasional scratching of my pen as I took notes. Eventually though, she spoke up and it was a question that was pure Hermione.
"So, um, what are you reading?" she asked.
I glanced up at her.
"Its an entry level text on Arcanum," I said, "Unfortunately, its pure Maths and I suck at maths. I don't even understand half of this stuff, even with the Arithmancy textbooks I've been using."
Hermione frowned.
"Whats Arcanum?" she asked, "I've read that Arithmancy is using numbers to predict the future and craft spells, but I've never heard of Arcanum."
"Arcanum is basically what Arithmancy wants to be when it grows up," I said, "Its the practice of using Mathematics, Runes and symbology to manipulate reality. Its technically a form of Ritual Magic and doesn't require a wand. However, its also obscenely complex, so its not really that common anymore."
"Really?" asked Hermione, looking intrigued, "Do you mind if I have a look?"
I shrugged and passed her the tome.
"Sure, its no use to me anyway," I said, "I can't even figure out the most basic of spells."
Hermione eagerly took the book and began scanning the pages, occasionally muttering to herself. A couple of minutes later, she pulled a notebook and pen out of her pocket and started scribbling something in it. Curious, I leaned forwards to have a look, only to be forced to look away as the bizarre symbols she was drawing seemed to shift and move in unnatural ways under my gaze.
"There, that should do it," said Hermione once she was done, "Now, if I got this right…"
She pressed a fingertip to the page and the symbols began to glow. A moment later, a ball of light shot out and hit the sliding door, causing the glass to shatter into a million pieces. My jaw dropped as Hermione went red.
"Um, whoops?" she said.
Aaaand done. Before anyone starts having a go at me for using Hermione, stop right there! I LIKE Hermione and planned from the start to have her pe part of Harry's party. I am well aware that other people don't like her and thats fine. However, I don't want another avalanche of people asking me why I'm using her when shes such a bitch and annoying and so on. If you don't like my use of her, go read something else.
Speaking of, you can probably guess what I have in mind for Hermione. To be honest, shes perfect for the Scholar/Summoner Job, and yes, I will be conflating them because I can. I wonder if you can guess who it was who held the Scholar/Summoner Soul Crystal in the past? Its not who you might think though.
Harry will get a pet in time and it will be a bird called Hedwig. It won't be an owl though.
Once again, I don't have much to say, so I'm gonna sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!