Chapter One: The Dream Seer, Ashura

The chilly, pre-winter air leaves no affect on the young child rushing down the streets towards Number Four, Privet Drive, where he lived with his Aunt and Uncle and their son, Dudley. Despite not having a coat to wear, the child pays no mind to the beginning stages of frostbite nibbling at his cheeks and fingers as he clutches a paper tightly to his chest, a hopeful smile on his face as he slows down as he crosses the yard to the door.

Huffing from the long run since he had been late getting out, having stuck behind in class to finish his sketch, Harry Potter hurriedly opened the door in time to see his Aunt, Petunia's, furious glare as he slips inside as quickly as possible, dodging the hand that reached out to smack his face.

"You're late, boy. Hurry up and make dinner before your Uncle gets home or you won't be eating tonight." She snarls at the small six year old who places his report card into the cupboard for later and heads into the kitchen.

Thankfully, Harry manages to finish dinner on time and as the three sit down to eat, Harry quietly sets to doing the dishes. Glad that the heat inside the house had removed the sting of the frostbite, he doesn't feel the pain it would've caused as he washes the dishes in the searing hot water. Already, half the dishes were finished and placed away when the family finishes.

He finishes his dishes and hurries to pull his report card out of the cupboard where he slept, heart beating fast with his heart hoping that they would finally be happy that he managed to be ranked the first in the class. He could hear them praising Dudley, whom had the worst grades, which makes him frown.

"Aunt Petunia!" He eagerly holds out his report card, wincing when her nails scratch his skin as she rip the card from his hands.

When her face darkens with fury, Harry feels his heart sink in disappointment while his Aunt begins shrieking about him cheating. Unwilling to cry in front of them, he swallows back his tears but is unable to hide the flinch when his Uncle stands up, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

'Someone, please, help me!' Harry thinks desperately as his uncle slams his fist into his head, knocking him into blissful darkness.

Meanwhile, in Celes, Ashura-ou smiles faintly as he watches Fai practice a rather difficult spell, in preparation for the harsh winter months approaching. He feels the child's powerful magick rise and flow somewhat smoothly however, he knows that the spell wouldn't work when the magick suddenly fails around him. Frustration crosses his face before he begins again.

'Someone, please, help me!' The powerful words yank harshly at the King's mind, startling him.

Furrowing his brow in thought, Ashura slips from the room with a quiet murmur to Fai to keep trying. He didn't understand why this thought reached him, but the desperation and fear lacing the words tug at his heart while the power of the magick had nearly slipped him into a dream seer sleep which had been frightening. A young dream seer with powerful magick must have been the one to call out and the King resolutely decided to help this child as he leans back against the throne, allowing his mind to slip into the dream realm, following the child's magick straight to him.

He was not prepared for the small child that stood before him. The child, he notes, can't be more than five or six years of age. He looked almost as bad as Fai did when he had first met his adopted child. The pale skin, show the lack of sun and the thinness tells of malnutrition. While both incites his fury, it was the bruises decorating the child's skin in alarming rates, more appearing even as he stood watching, that infuriated him the most.

Keeping calm, he approaches the child who looks around them in complete confusion. Definitely a new seer, he muses as he glances at the child's half of the seer realm. It was small, dark, and yet the child seems to be completely at ease which worries the King. Such a dream-scape would mean that the child slept in a place similar and it was there the child felt safe enough to dream.

"Who are you?" The child asks, voice soft but very polite in his manner when he finally catches note of Ashura who stood just a few feet before him.

"My name is Ashura. May I know your name, child?" Ashura masks his anger of the child's caretakers swiftly as he answers the child's question, sitting down so as to not loom over the skittish child who had shrunk back when he had approached.

Tilting his head, the child remains silent for a few minutes before whispering, 'My name is Harry Potter, although for some reason I never felt as if it belonged to me."

That sentence alone sparks a worry in the King who frowns lightly. Dream Seers often could tell when something wasn't right, oftentimes this instinct revolved around themselves and those whom were close to the seer. For the child to believe that name wasn't it own, probably pointed to the child having been taken away or being adopted, his magick having bonded with his previous name.

"It's most likely that your magick refuses to acknowledge that name as your own. Most likely because it has a name that you used to be called before that name was given to you." Ashura explains as the child sits down before him, wincing in pain as another bruise begins to form on his left arm.

"Where are we? I don't remember seeing this place before, sir. And magick doesn't exist!" The last statement is full of doubt and equal conviction that Ashura gets the feeling the child had been told that statment so many times.

"This is known as a dream-scape. A place where dream seers can interact. And magick does exist child, or you would not have reached this place. I can feel your magick and it is very strong and untamed." Ashura calmly refutes the child's statement.

Hope sparks in the child's eyes and Ashura watches as the child bites his lip. Taking the chance, Ashura studies the child more closely. The black hair seems to fall all over the place while his emerald eyes practically glow in the light coming from his side of the scape. The eyes seem almost huge on the child which made him look very adorable, he had to admit to himself. He glances at the various wounds with a critical eye. It would only take a few spells to heal him and with the way the child's magick seems to lean opposite of his Fai's, then healing would probably be something the child would be interested in learning.

"Can you teach me?" The hopeful whisper is almost to quiet for him to catch but Ashura gives a smile at the request.

"I would be glad to pass on the knowledge to another dream seer. I think the best would be to teach you the spells that will heal those wounds. While most magick spells need to start out simpler because of the damage they bring, healing spells usually start with bruises and those to relieve pain. With those spells, you should be able to heal those wounds enough that they won't impede your movement when you finish them." Ashura states, pulling up the spells in his mind, careful to remember exactly how they were performed.

Eager, Harry shifts closer to the King whom begins to guide the child to opening and connecting with his magick. It took a few hours, but eventually he could pull his magick out even if it was slow. The quick progress made the king smile and it's when the child pulls his magick out for the first time that he realized the magick felt so similar to his Fai it sparks a doubt in his mind.

Pushing the thought away for the moment, he begins to trace the runs into the sand which he formed so the child could practice them before trying it out with his magick. Thankful, that time passed much faster here than in the outside world, it allowed him to teach the child much more. It was getting close to day break, Ashura notes, when Harry manages to perform both spells, even if they were shaky at best.

"Harry, where did you get those bruises?" Ashura finally asks, hoping that he would be honest now that he knew more of the king.

A frown twists the smile away from the child and Harry nips at his bottom lip before whispering, "My Aunt and Uncle were unhappy when I got better grades than my cousin."

Ashura keeps the rage from showing as he shows another spell, tracing the runes for the child in the sand. It was a short spell and while it wouldn't work on those with magick, it would most likely fool the child's relatives. Harry watches with interest and waits quietly for the King to finish before asking what it was.

With this spell you can illusion something into appearing different. It would mostly only work on small things so you could illusion your reports to match your relatives expectations without harming your education. You can't allow your studies to slack, Harry especially when some will become fundamental in your magick later on."

Harry gives an eager nod and only when the child could perform the spell passably enough to fool most non-magickals did Ashura say goodbye, promising to visit again while Harry continues to practice, having time still be rather late at night compared to the king.

"Your Majesty, is everything alright?" One of his advisor's asks worriedly as he opens his eyes. The sunlight streaming into his throne room causes him to wince.

"I am fine, Rudan. Please see to it that the meetings are carried out as planned." Ashura firmly states as he stands to find his son, the desire to see him after seeing that small child, Harry.

"Of course, your majesty." Ruban hurries from the room.

Pain floods Harry's senses as he wakes up the next morning to his Aunt's shrilling voice demanding him to get up or he'd be late to school. Wincing, he sits up before the dream comes back to him. Hoping desperately that it wasn't a dream, Harry turns his mind inward, tracing the magick as Ashura had taught him. Finding the warmth ball in the center of his being, Harry felt tears sting at his eyes as he carefully pulls it to perform the spells, which is easier than it had in the dream-scape.

Feeling the pain lessen and the bruises heal enough for him to move, Harry hurriedly grabs his books and opens the cupboard. Taking the small glass of water and the two slices of bread left for him on the counter, Harry smiles, vowing to master the spells the kind man had taught him. He would do everything he could to make him proud, he decided as he rushed out the door, a bright smile hidden on his face as he keeps his head down as he walks toward the school, looking forward for the new day now that he knew he had someone who cared.