Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, at all.
Prologue
It had all happened by accident. She had spontaneously decided to clear out the cluttered library the muggle way, determined to find some lost treasure of a book, when she found it. Sitting there, covered in dust and grime, was the one book that she had been far too fearful to read. Even years later, after all the events detailed in the book had been cleared up and finished with, it still haunted her.
"Mommy, what is that?" a young male voice asked as her son, Scorpius Malfoy entered into the room.
"Nothing, just a book I thought I had lost a long time ago" she answered the inquisitive ten year old.
"Really, is it any good?" the boy asked.
A strangled laugh escaped from her lips, worrying her son as he stared up at her with vibrant eyes. When she still had yet to respond, Scorpius repeated his question.
"I don't know" his mother whispered. "I never took the time to read it, not after all I did."
Confused, Scorpius tried to piece together what his mother had said, however all his ten year old mind could grasp was that his mother had yet to read the book. Deciding to focus on that, he grabbed it from her hands and sat down beside her. Opening it up, he cleared his throat (as he had seen his father do a few times when about to read) and prepared to start.
"What are you doing?" his shocked mother asked as she found herself watching her son hold open the aforementioned book.
"You said you've never read it. Well, I haven't either so let's read it together" Scorpius said with a finality to his tone.
His mother only stared at him, offering nothing in the way of a response. Taking that as a cue to begin reading, he did just that.
"Prologue" he began. "My life had never been ordinary..."
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My life had never been ordinary, but this had taken the cake. Born and raised in Seattle, I had never expected to be visited by a 19 year old British man requesting my assistance in a war, much less a war revolving around magic and a world in the sky. Actually if it hadn't been for my friend Astoria confirming his story, I would've never believed him.
As it turned out, she too had been from this world. It had been obvious since I met her seven years ago that she was British, but to hear her speak about this long lost land. Well, to say I was dumbfounded would be an understatement. Sure, she had always had a thing for the supernatural, while I enjoyed my machines, but I never thought it was due to a lingering connection with it. However, that was exactly what it was, a lingering connection.
She didn't have access to any magic, a squib as they referred to them up there, and so she was sent to live with a foster family in Seattle. That's where I met her and where we began the friendship that eventually led to this moment.
"Why am I needed?" she had asked softly, a whisper if we were to be exact.
The young man had a sorrowful expression in his emerald eyes. It wasn't encouraging. That was assured by his words that followed.
"You're needed to support your sister. Without your parents alive anymore, she needs family to support her. And, well, one of my close friends is a seer who claimed that you would be able to end the war," he stated sadly.
"Are you kidding me? You come here and immediately request that Tori go and join a war? Are you insane?" I yelled at him, my emotions starting to bleed out rapidly.
Astoria's hand on my shoulder was the only thing that kept me in check as I prepared to unleash a full wave of my anger onto the man. Taking a deep breath, I gave her a small smile, one meant to convey my apologies for the actions that I had taken. She accepted it with a smile of her own, before turning back to the young man.
"Mr. Potter, Harry, I'm sorry, but I don't understand how I could help you. I was sent here due to the fact that I was a squib. There's nothing I could do against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," she apologetically said.
I nodded in affirmation, hoping that she wouldn't be pressed further by Mr. Potter.
"I understand that, however, if Voldemort," as he said this name I witnessed Astoria cringe. "If he manages to take control of Wizarding Britain, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll be able to expand his conquest, eventually coming face to face with the muggle world. I'm not sure how that will pan out, but it could still get you involved."
A sigh escapes from Astoria as she looks at her shoes. I'd seen her do this whenever she was nervous or thinking about something. This time though, it seemed to be a mixture of the two as she remained like this for a longer amount of time than I expected.
"I'm sorry, in the shock of your story, I forgot to formally introduce myself," I said, drawing attention away from my friend and turning it to me. "My name is Franklin Rochester; however you can just call me Frank."
Harry accepted my outstretched hand and shook it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Frank. I'm amazed that Astoria would break the statute of secrecy like she did, but that must express an immense amount of trust in you." He said calmly, though I could easily see that he was agitated by the time it was taking for Astoria to respond.
"Yeah, well, Tori's dragged me on more expeditions in search of the supernatural than I'd care to divulge," I chuckled. "Anyways, you live in the sky? That must be intriguing."
Before Harry could answer, Astoria lifted her head.
"I'll do it. For my sister, I'll go back. However, Frank has to come as well."
As she said that, all I could do was let out a sigh. I couldn't disagree with her in the slightest. I would have found some way to follow her, but, at least it didn't seem like Harry was too against it.
"You do know that will be breaking the statute of secrecy, right?" he asked her, a soft smirk on his face.
"We can deal with that at a later date. You're at war are you not? I think any extra assistance is better than nothing."
I smiled at her comment. Ignoring the rules to be able to accomplish whatever her heart was set on, that was Astoria's way. Little did I know though, I would soon become just a step on her path to her destiny. Taking in the sight of the small, typically bubbly brunette, I would never have imagined the fate that awaited me as she proceeded to her own.
End Prologue
A/N: Okay, here is the start of my first chaptered fic. I have some oneshots I'm working on, as well as a chaptered fic for another fandom, but this is the chaptered fic that I will be working on for the time being. It is partially inspired by Bioshock Infinite and I've been working on the concept for quite a while and have just recently gotten to writing it out. As you can tell there is an OC who will play a major role. Though the prologue was, for the most part, first person from his perspective, the rest of the story will be told in third person, allowing the perspectives of Astoria, Harry, Daphne and others to be expressed. I know that most people hate OCs, but I hope that you'll give this story a chance. As to the inevitable pairing questions, well, the only ones I'll confirm are Astoria and the OC Frank, as well as Astoria and Draco (which happens over time). Anyways, if you feel like leaving a review, go right ahead as any constructive criticism is appreciated. Until I post the next chapter,
This has been Merchant Prince.