The Crystal Bearer and the Red Tincture

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy XIV ARR. HP is the property of J.K. Rowling and FFXIV ARR is the property of Square Enix.

Summary: A 10-year-old Harry Potter finds a Crystal while tending his Aunt's Garden and with it destinies change, plans are foiled and the world begins to lean back into an Astral Era after centuries of falling deeper into the Umbral Sea.

Spells/Abilities/Primals

Mother Crystal

Thoughts

Chapter 1: A Dreamer Awakes

Number Four Privet Drive was as normal as could be; within lived a perfectly normal family. A mother, a father and a wonderful (at least in his parent's eyes) little boy. The mother was a thin woman with blonde shoulder length hair; she did have a rather long neck that came in quite handy when she would snoop over the garden fence and spy on the neighbors. The father was a rather big beefy man with no neck whatsoever though he did have a rather nice large mustache. He worked a rather normal job as a director for a drill manufacturing company and drove a normal car that he would trade in for the newest nice car when he could afford it. The little boy was rather large for his age with a thick head of blonde hair like his mother and very little neck like his father. To his father and mother the boy looked like an angel. To the fourth person who lived in the house he looked like a pig in a wig. That is right there was a fourth person living at Number Four Privet Drive though the family of three would much rather this not be the case. The fourth person was also a little boy; the nephew and cousin to the family through his mother's side. He was a small and skinny boy with an unruly mop of black hair, vivid green eyes (though they were hidden behind a pair of glasses), and a lightning bolt shaped scar could be seen on his forehead if it wasn't hidden from view by his bangs.

The family is called the Dursleys; Vernon the father, Petunia the mother and Dudley the son. The boy they would rather not think about is named Harry Potter the blighted spot on their otherwise perfectly NORMAL life. Why is Harry so unwelcome you ask? Well it all starts back in 1981 when on a cold October night when Harry's mother Lily Potter and his father James Potter were murdered by an Evil Wizard named Voldemort. What is that you ask; are wizards and magic real? Oh yes my friends they are indeed real in fact Lily and James are wizards and so too is young Harry. Now Petunia had always been jealous of Lily having magic and jealousy turns to hate rather easily. So when on November first 1981 when Petunia Dursley opened the front door to put the milk bottles out and found baby Harry well her perfectly normal world shattered for not only was her sister dead but she also had to take care of her magical nephew.

For Ten long years Harry has lived with his relatives never truly calling Number Four his home. His time there was spent mostly doing chores and getting yelled at when he asked a question, made a mistake or worse acted abnormal in front of his family or others. For all the Dursleys dislike of Harry they would never strike him. So at best they would ignore him. At worst they would yell at him or force him back into his cupboard (yes he sleeps in a cupboard, under the stairs no less) without meals depending on the severity of Harry's supposed crimes against normality. After all NORMAL people don't physically abuse children; just verbally abuse them and withhold food.

Our story starts on July Twenty-sixth, three days after Harry's month long punishment for somehow causing the glass to vanish in the reptile room at the zoo releasing a boa constrictor and trapping Dudley ended and was five days before Harry's birthday, in the wee hours of the morning. Harry is currently asleep in his cupboard dreaming.

Harry floats in a sea of black slowly drifting along tugged by an invisible current. Pinpricks of colored light are his only companions in this abyss.

"Stars." He says as he smiles to himself. He begins connects the dots of light making images; imaginary friends that Dudley couldn't scare away from him. He starts with the red stars; with his arm outstretched he points from one star to another and as he connects each dot lines form between them.

"Heh," he laughs, "This is just like those books Aunt Petunia got Dudley one Christmas to 'Stimulate her little genius Duddykins' problem solving skills' too bad he dumped them in his second bedroom and I was able to sneak in and grab them."

The Red stars begin to take form of a lizard-like beast enshrouded in flame. Massive horns curve outward from its head and jagged spikes jut from its back. Its hands and feet are capped with scythe like claws.

"Truly a terrifying monster," Harry thinks to himself, "Especially with all that fire around it."

He can see it; a sun baked caldera in the middle of a desert with strange lizard-like beings chanting calling out to their god. As the setting sun turns the caldera into a blaze of orange a spark comes to life in the air. The spark grows into a roaring inferno exploding outward and within the center of the blast shrouded in Hellfire is the beast.

"Ifrit, Lord of the Inferno." Almost unbidden Harry names the creature and is unsure how he knows that that is the fiery beings true name.

Before Harry can start on the next constellation a bright light comes into being behind him and as he turns toward the light he hears a soft motherly voice.

"Hear, Fe…"

Before he is jolted awake by his Aunt.

"Wake up! Stupid boy it is time to make breakfast and don't you dare burn the bacon like last time if you know what is good for you!" screeched Aunt Petunia as she knocked on the door to his cupboard.

Groaning in protest Harry returns to the waking world.

"Yes Aunt Petunia, I will get r-right on it." Yawned Harry as he got ready for the day.

As Harry exited his cupboard he could smell something foul like sulfur. As he entered the kitchen he noticed that the strange smell became more pronounced. It was then he noticed his Aunt standing over the sink using what looked like a large plastic spoon to stir dirty rags in a grey liquid.

"All in all," Harry mused, "She looks like a witch doing laundry."

Harry walked over to the stove and turned it on before grabbing the bacon from the larder as well as the pan. As he begins to fry the bacony goodness he turns and looks to his Aunt.

"So, what's all this then?" Harry asks while motioning with his free hand towards his Aunt and her sink.

She purses her lips like she always does whenever he asks a question, "Your new school uniform. I am dyeing some of Dudley's old clothes gray for you to use; they'll look just like everyone else's."

"All this hard work just to not have to spend money on new clothes for me," Harry thinks knowing it will just get him in trouble if he says so out loud, "Ah well more power to her if she wants to get all hot and dirty just to spite me, goddess knows I'm used to it."

Harry jolts at that thought wondering why he thought Goddess of all things when it is pushed from his mind as Vernon and Dudley enter the kitchen noses scrunched at the smell of dyeing clothes.

"Hope that's not dinner." Grumbles Vernon

Dudley nods in agreement with his father taking a swipe at Harry with his Smelting Stick as he sits down.

As Harry passes out the bacon and the rest of breakfast to his family he asks, "Gardening today Aunt Petunia?"

"Hmm? Ah yes you will be weeding the garden today." She nods narrowing her eyes at Harry, "Hurry and finish so you can hop to it!"

As Harry nods and starts his own meager breakfast the family hears the mail slot click.

"Go get the mail Dudley." Says Vernon.

"Make Harry do it Dad." Complains Dudley.

"Boy go get the mail." Orders Vernon.

"Make Dudley do it." Replies Harry.

"Poke him with your stick Dudley."

Harry just rolls his eyes and dodges Dudley's attempt as he heads for the front door.

On the mat there are several letters; a post card from Vernon's sister Marge, three brown envelopes that look like bills and most surprising a letter for Harry!

Harry carefully gathers up the letters and notices that whoever sent him his letter was very accurate they even got his cupboard listed.

Harry is brought back to reality when Vernon makes a stupid joke about checking for letter bombs. Now in another world Harry would bring all the letters into the kitchen and have his letter subsequently stolen by Dudley with the cry of "Harry's got a letter!" with the end result of Petunia and Vernon freaking out and burning the letter. Our Harry however knows his relatives well and thus slides his letter into his cupboard on the way back into the kitchen.

Harry tunes out his uncle as he talks about Marge and the bills. His thoughts turn to the letter and who could have sent it. He realizes that he will never know unless he reads it, and he won't be let back in until the garden chores are done. So he finishes his breakfast and turns to his aunt.

"I'll head out to the garden now, Aunt Petunia." He says.

Petunia just nods and shoos him out of the house.