Title: Fayth
Fandoms: Harry Potter & Final Fantasy X
Author: Batsutousai
Beta: Shara Lunison
Rating: eventual M/R
Pairings: Harry/Tidus
Warnings: OoC, AU (etc, etc, etc....)
Summary: Harry Potter defeated Voldemort, but at a price. When a new evil comes that he cannot defeat alone, he and his friends lock themselves in stone to fight it. One day, thousands of years later, Harry is freed and starts a journey with another young man who is equally lost to finish the job Harry once started.

Disclaim Her: This story uses characters and settings owned by J.K. Rowling, her publishers and Square Enix. No money is being made from the creation of this fanfic, and no copywrite infringement is intended.

A/N: So, I was bored one afternoon – FFN's email system was down again, so I had no idea if any of the fics I was watching had updated, and I'd finished whatever else I was up to – and happened to come across a HP/FFX crossover that was so good, it completely blew my mind. (It's called Dark Summoner and is by Mage-Alia. ^.^") After reading it, I wandered that tiny corner of fandom – as I'm typing this, there are 12 fics in that category on FFN, though there could be more under one fandom or the other – and sort of got lost in there for a bit.
And then, after going through the fics in that little hole that interested me, I was like, "I could write something for this fandom!!"
Oops.
So! Here's my attempt at this mesh. Let me know what you think. (And, yes, I intend to keep writing my other fics, this just looked like fun... O.o)

This story starts out in Harry's world, with a few added FFX twists, but the bulk of the story will take place in Spira. For the most part, the magic will be FFX-based, but there will be some HP magic in there too.

-0-
The Beginning
-0-

"It's not going to work, Ron," Harry Potter said tiredly, leaning against what was left of the wall.

Ron Weasley glared up at his best friend from where he and Hermione Granger were looking over some plans for defeating the strange man who had showed up a few weeks after Voldemort's defeat and turned their world upside-down. "It has to work," the young man replied.

Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister, looked up from the work Hermione had set her to. Between Voldemort and this new enemy, she'd missed almost two years of schooling, and Hermione intended to make her catch up, even if it killed her. Ginny hadn't seemed to mind; she said it helped keep the nightmares away. "Ron, I think Harry's right. Our magic just doesn't work on him."

"Well, neither does anything else!" Ron snapped, throwing a book at the wall and nearly missing Harry's head. "Not even the muggles have been able to stop him! If we don't do something soon, there won't be anyone left to fight for!"

"The muggle guns had the most impact," Hermione whispered, eyes bright with tears. Out of all of them, she'd taken the fight the hardest; her parents had still been in Australia when the man bombed the place to hell, and she'd been with Ginny at the Burrow when a nearby attack had levelled the precarious building, killing everyone inside. "Maybe we can...?"

"What? Fight with his best weapon?" Ron spat. "We don't even know how to use the things, and every time we get close, they die because of our magic."

"Maybe there's a way to infuse a muggle gun with magic?" Harry suggested, mostly ignoring Ron's scathing tone. He'd become mostly immune to his best friend's anger; it was Ron's way of coping.

Two people dashed into the crumbling building that had once been a cathedral in downtown London. (Now, not only was the cathedral decimated, so was the city outside, leaving little habitable.) Neville Longbottom took a moment to catch his breath while Luna Lovegood walked over to the table Ron and Hermione hovered over with a bag. The small blonde set the bag down on the table while Neville said, "That's all we could find."

"Are they out there?" Ginny asked, eyes wide at the fresh cuts on both Luna and Neville's arms.

Neville grimaced while Luna, reminded of their wounds, went to their first aid kit for bandages. "Yeah. Two of his air droids. We managed to bring them down with magic about twenty kilometres from here."

"We'll have to move again," Harry said with a heavy sigh. Whenever a droid was killed, more would come, searching for the people who had damaged them. Twenty kilometres wasn't far enough away.

Hermione sniffed and buried her face in her hands. Ginny hurried to her side to comfort her while Ron grunted and got up to start packing.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Neville whispered.

Harry took the bandage Luna was holding out to Neville and gently started wrapping the other's arm. "You couldn't help it," he murmured.

Neville looked at Harry helplessly. "I wish I could."

-0-0-0-

Three moves later, they came across a book which had been unburied by a recent explosion.

"The Arte of Summoning," Ginny said, picking the dusty book up from some rubble. "Sounds very muggle," she commented sarcastically, eyeing the muggle church they were standing in. Like most holy places in the muggle world, the building had been built to survive a lot more damage than the skyscrapers the muggles had been fond of populating their cities with, and so made a perfect place for the six young women and men to hide out for a few days.

Hermione took the offered book and curled up in a pew, happy to have something to focus on. Two moves ago, they hadn't had the time to grab more than a few supplies before they'd had to vacate or be killed, and books were far less important than food, so they'd left it all behind. By now, the small bookcase Hermione had dragged with them since Hogwarts was bombed would be nothing more than ash and rubble.

While Hermione got sucked in by the book, the other five young adults figured out sleeping quarters and found a place to store what little food they had left.

"We'll need more soon," Neville whispered to Harry while the youngest two girls and Ron went about finding soft things for beds. "This won't last us more than two days."

Harry looked at their meagre supply and smiled grimly. "I remember a day when this much food wouldn't have lasted us a single meal," he said.

Neville patted his too thin stomach and grinned back with sorrow in his eyes. "Those were the days, eh?"

Harry nodded. "Want to help me raid the kitchen?" he asked, hoping against hope that there was something left.

Neville sighed and nodded. They quietly told Luna and Ginny where they were going, then wandered deeper into the church, looking for a kitchen.

They found the kitchen, but most of the leftover food was spoiled. There were two dried out loaves of bread that had managed to not get mouldy, a few cans of carrots and chicken, and a large block of cheese that they could easily cut the creeping mould off of. There was also some wine, which the two boys grabbed with bland smiles, silently agreeing to let the others have their pick of it first; someone needed to be cognisant enough to keep watch through the night.

When they got back, they found Hermione almost smiling as she explained something to a wide-eyed Ron and Ginny. Luna stood silently next to her best friend, eyes bright with a hope none of them had felt since the appearance of the strange new man. Harry and Neville quickly shoved their spoils under the table they'd decided to keep their food in, then hurried over to where the other four teens were.

As soon as Hermione saw them, she sat forward, eyes sparkling. "I found something!" she told them.

Harry and Neville sat down with their friends and Neville said, "Go on, then."

Hermione nodded and opened the book Ginny had found to a picture of a large beast. "This is called an aeon," she said, pointing to the picture. "It's a magical beast of some sort that comes through from another dimension. According to this book, they're called forth by people called 'Summoners', who pray to something called 'the fayth' to get them. Aeons have enormous power and are able to defeat foes which normal people could never imagine facing."

"How would we go about finding one of these 'summoners'?" Neville asked.

Hermione's face fell, then. "I don't think they exist anymore. This book is old, held together by some impressive spells. There's a list of Summoners in the back, but the only names on their I really recognise are from before Hogwarts was even built!"

"Like who?" Ginny asked.

"Merlin," Hermione whispered reverently.

Harry sat back in his seat while the other five looked heartbroken. "Is there a chance we could find these... What are they? Fayth?" he asked, looking at Hermione.

The girl shrugged helplessly. "I wouldn't know where to start. And I have no idea what we'd do if we found them."

"Well, we'll keep our eyes open," Harry decided, desperate to have some sort of hope for them to hold on to, however unlikely it was. "Does the book say what these fayth look like?"

Hermione quickly flipped through the book, eventually coming across a picture of a person encased in some sort of crystal. "This is a fayth."

Harry looked at everyone, eyes firm. "Keep your eyes peeled."

They all nodded, then Neville cleared his throat. "Harry and I found wine."

Immediately, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were up, following Neville to the alcohol.

Luna scooted closer to Harry and set a hand on his knee, eyes questioning. She'd lost her voice early on, around the time when Hogwarts was destroyed, but her friends had learned to understand her without words.

Harry looked away, now, and said, "I hope so, but I don't know."

Luna tightened her grip on Harry's knee, shaking it slightly.

Harry smiled at her and gently ran a hand through her grimy hair. "I'm not giving up, Luna. I promise."

Luna nodded, relieved, and stood up to join the others over by the food and wine, leaving Harry to think about better times.

-0-0-0-

Harry sat up tiredly, smiling at where Ron snored loudly next to him. As agreed, Neville and Harry had refrained from drinking the wine, and the other four had passed out shortly after consuming the whole bottle. Neville was out in the chapel, keeping watch, and Harry was supposed to be sleeping in the room the boys had been given, but his mind was a mess of thoughts and he hadn't been able to get to sleep.

Harry walked out into the chapel, lips quirking with a smile when Neville jumped and spun to face him, wand out. They watched each other for a long moment before Neville relaxed, waving at Harry tiredly.

Harry walked over to Neville and sat on the cold stone floor next to him. "All quiet?"

Neville nodded. "Ginny came out earlier for the loo, but so far everything has been pretty dull." He sighed and sat next to Harry, quietly bumping shoulders. "What brings you here?"

Harry shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

Neville nodded knowingly. "Do you want to take watch? Or are you going to wander?"

Harry grimaced. Often, when he couldn't sleep, he would walk around whatever building they'd decided to stay in. After a long moment of contemplation, he stood and said, "I think I'll take a look around. Maybe I'll find more wine."

Neville smiled sadly. "Be careful."

"You, too."

Harry walked quietly from the chapel and wandered randomly through the church. Eventually, he found a large chunk of rubble which seemed to be blocking the way to a staircase. Curious, he magically moved the rubble and wandered down the steps.

At the bottom of the stairs were catacombs, and by the smell of things, people had tried hiding in them. Harry carefully preformed a bubble head charm before continuing on, wand held out in front of him.

It didn't take long for Harry to find the bodies. London had been one of the first cities attacked, and from the looks of the bodies, they'd been down there since that day. A small cave-in seemed to have knocked one of the three men out, and the others probably died from starvation when they realised they couldn't get out through the stairs.

Harry whispered a prayer he remembered from church with the Dursleys and burned the bodies, not wanting to see them. Once the evidence was gone, he continued on, still cautious.

Many twists and turns later, Harry came across another cave-in, but this one had opened a hole to another room. Harry poked his head in and gasped at the large crystal in the floor.

When he stepped fully into the room, a ghostly form rose up over the crystal, and a sad woman looked up at him. "What brings you here, Summoner?"

Harry swallowed. "I'm not a summoner."

The woman looked at him curiously. "You could be," she said after a moment. "You have the magic."

Harry blinked, stepping forward. "Please, could you tell me more about them? The summoners? We've only just read about them..."

The woman nodded and quietly relayed everything Hermione had explained to them earlier. When she finished, she added, "I am Aldine, the last Fayth."

Harry felt like he'd been punched and fell heavily to the ground. "The last?" he whispered.

Aldine nodded. "I can't feel the others," she explained.

Harry closed his eyes. "No..."

"Why does this worry you so, Summoner?" the woman asked.

Harry looked up at her. "There's a man wrecking my world, destroying my people...." He shook his head. "Hermione, my friend, found the book about summoners and fayth and we'd hoped you could help us, if we could ever find you. But there's only one..."

Aldine cocked her head to one side. "One might be enough," she pointed out. "But if you need more, you can always create more fayth."

Harry stared at her, hope blooming in green eyes. "How?" he whispered.

Aldine smiled sadly. "Fayth are people, just like you, who sacrificed themselves to provide aeons. Fayth must always be a Summoner, as only they have the strength to call forth and grant aeons. The stronger the Fayth was in life, the stronger the aeon will be when granted, though the true strength of the aeon always depends on the Summoner who uses it in battle."

Dread started to pool in Harry's stomach as something occurred to him, and he asked, "What happens to the fayth?"

Aldine smiled. "We become nothing more than a memory, passed down through our aeons. The aeons can only be accessed so long as the Fayth wish to survive, or as long as their crystal tomb remains intact." She waved her hand at the crystal beneath her feet, where a woman looking very much like the ghost lay.

Harry stood. "I... Thank you. I have to speak with my friends..."

Aldine nodded. "I'll be here," she said.

-0-0-0-

The next morning, Harry told his friends everything.

As expected, Hermione was the first to speak after Harry's tale, "So, let me get this straight. Basically, if we want more than one aeon to fight that man, some of us will have to sacrifice our lives?"

"I'd do it," Neville said softly, shocking everyone. He looked Harry in the eye and said, "If we need an aeon, I'll happily do it."

"So would I," Ginny said, not one to be outdone.

"Guys..." Hermione tried.

"What is there left to live for?" Ginny demanded of the brunette. "I can't keep running, Hermione! If my choices are to run or to sacrifice myself so we have a fighting chance, I'd rather do the latter."

Luna set her hand on Ginny's shoulder and nodded, her meaning clear: 'I would sacrifice myself too.'

Ron looked like someone had punched him in the stomach, but he still leaned forward and said, "If three of us sacrifice ourselves to become fayth, and three of us become Summoners, we might very well have a chance."

Heart in his throat, Harry nodded; it was the same conclusion he'd come to last night, especially after reading Hermione's book and finding out that you could only summon one aeon at a time, and you couldn't have more than one of the same aeon summoned at the same time.

"Well then," Neville said quietly, "why don't we go ask Aldine what's required for becoming a fayth."

-0-0-0-

They chose Hogwarts as their final resting place. Harry, Ron and Hermione stood silently in the doorway of the ruined Great Hall while their three friends sacrificed themselves to become fayth.

"Just us, now," Ron whispered as the lights from the magic died down, leaving three crystals with bodies inside.

"Just like it's always been," Harry agreed grimly, then stepped forward and knelt in front of what was left of his friends. Ron and Hermione knelt on either side of him.

As Aldine had done, Ginny, Luna and Neville rose as ghosts from their crystal prisons, each of them smiling. "We grant unto you our inner selves," Ginny said.

"Use them well," Luna whispered.

"Kick his arse," Neville added, making the three living friends laugh through their tears.

Once they felt the connections to their friends solidify, Harry, Ron and Hermione stood and left the Great Hall, grasping hands.

"This is it," Harry whispered.

"Let's make it count," Ron agreed.

Between them, Hermione just nodded, choking out a sob.

Together, they apparated to where they knew the man they had run from for three years lay in wait.

-0-0-0-

The fight had been ugly, but in the end, Harry triumphed again, just as he had against Voldemort.

But the price had been too high.

"Ron... Hermione..." Harry whispered, kneeling next to their bodies. In the end, they'd sacrificed themselves so he could get in the final shot. His friends, always sacrificing themselves for him.

"Now what?" he whispered to the empty sky. Another evil had been conquered, but he was all alone. There was nothing left.

'We're still here, Harry,' Luna whispered in his mind.

'We'll always be here, with you,' Ginny agreed.

Harry bit his lip, then nodded, decided. He burned Ron and Hermione's bodies, then apparated back to Hogwarts. There, he performed the spells to become a fayth.

It would be thousands of years before he would have a reason to live again.

-0-0-0-0-0-

A/N: Mmmmmm.... I dunno. Kinda angsty, yeah?
Oh well. XD

*cracks knuckles* On to the next chapter!!
~Bats ^.^x