Disclaimer: As millions have stated before me, and millions more shall say, I do not own the blasted potter series nor do I own anything within the plotline or inferred thanks to damn copyrights. On the other hand, any character not used in the books that are apparent within my own ARE mine. So please ask if you want to use them for some dastardly or otherwise w/e reason that I don't care to go into. Thanks.

-E

Chapter One: Vernors

The year is 2016, eighteen long years of peace have past since Harry James Potter defeated Voldemort on May 2nd, 1998. 9 years have passed since he became head auror at the young age of 27. It is one year before his oldest children begin Hogwarts and hopefully follow in a less...dangerous path then their beloved father took through Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but enough of Harry and his life. This is the story of two children, and it begins on the cold winter night of December 20th, 2016.

"But mum!" the boy pleads, phone grasped tight in his abnormally sweaty palms. The chilly winter air blows from behind, his white locks of hair responding as they billowed back and forth with the spastic winds outside.

"Yes, I know, but it's my birthday in-" he pauses to look at the luminescent red numbers of his digital clock, "two hours and thirty-four minutes," his voice pleading for some unknown reason. The soothing sounds of his mother's voice calms him as she gives a lengthy apology and a promise to visit. The same one she gives each year.

"Yea, business, I understand" the boy lied. All he asked was for his parents to visit him each year. Each year they sent him money and an empty promise to visit the next year. They all knew the truth, and in the 10 short years of his life, Zaito Touma Ishi learned to despise the word "business." It was synonymous with disappointment.

"Love you dear, stay warm" the rich tenor of his mother's voice called from the receiver. His hands went a little limp as he sadly parroted, "Love you too mum, will do" before hanging up the phone with the simple press of a button. He didn't want to hear her voice for now. It was too much to handle, but this year he wouldn't cry. He told himself that he was too old to cry, after all, the other boys don't cry when their parents can't visit. At least, not outside the safety of their rooms, he conceded.

Zaito had attended ASIF for 3 years and a half now. He'd started the top rated French international school at the age of seven and a half, making him two hours and twenty-eight minutes away from reaching the exciting age of 11. Well, exciting for a wizarding child anyway, but as you may have figured by now, Zaito was about to become part of a world hidden for decades, and surely quite a few more to come. He turned towards the still open window, flakes of snow coming through large opening to his dorm room. He'd known little else to call a home, and came to love the American School in France, even with its obnoxiously plain name. Love it like a home though...he couldn't quite say that yet. His amber red eyes rested on the clock once more, silently ticking away the time in its digital brain, anxious to celebrate his birthday. Why? He still couldn't tell, he'd been celebrating them alone for the past three years. His father worked in the automotive business for the Japanese and his mother was his translator. Unfortunately, they claimed the constant life of going back and forth from America to Japan too hectic for a young boy and sent him to one of the best boarding schools money could buy.

So here he was, willing the minutes until his birthday, only 2 more left. Strange. He could've sworn he'd heard and owl's hoot, but in this weather? It'd be insane for any creature of the air to take flight with the raging blizzard outside. Chalking it off as his imagination he continued to stare at the clock, a Michigan imported Vernors drink ready to open in his left hand to celebrate. He'd fallen in love with the fizzy soda on his first visit to Michigan and couldn't get enough of it since.

"Dammit" he yelled in mock frustration. He'd missed the digital clock turn midnight while lost in his musings. "Ah well, might as well down the Vernors and pretend like I got it right" he lamented. Unfortunately, fate decided to throw him a curve ball in the form of a fluffy, brown projectile the moment he opened his drink.

"Hey!" he screamed as the brown ball of feathers gave an indignant squawk and his soda spilled across the floor. It didn't seem to matter as the boy's attention rested completely on the tawny brown owl before him. "What the hell?" he inadvertently cursed as the owl ruffled its feathers and shook the icy water from its feathers.

The owl seemed to ignore him as it put forward a foot, a small blue envelope attached to it. "Do I take the letter?" the boy asked, feeling slightly foolish as he'd just asked an owl for permission to do something. The strange thing was that the owl nodded its head in response as it hopped closer on one leg. "Um, thanks?" he mumbled as he fiddled with the string, finally releasing the mail from the firm leg of the owl.

Before he could say another word, the owl bent low before flapping its wings and making its way back out into the snowstorm. "Well, no one's going to believe that in the morning" he declared as he turned to face the letter. After inspecting the letter and reading it twice to make sure he wasn't dreaming the most intelligent thing he could say, was "No bloody way." A few seconds passed before he voiced another thought that made its way to the forefront of his 10 year old mind. "Now I know no one would believe this." He was quite right. He read the keynote at the top of the page for the third time that night, still trying to wrap his mind around the ludicrous prank, or even crazier truth. "Dear Zaito Ishi, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic is pleased to inform you that you've been accepted into our prestigious halls. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Your term shall begin August 7th, 2017." As he read on he'd learned contact information for "muggleborns" such as himself, at least, he thought he'd fit the description, as well as information on how to retrieve his supplies. It seemed he'd be spending four years worth of birthday money on some much delayed summer shopping he decided.

Reaching for the right drawer of his desk, he stowed away the letter and decided to deal with contacts tomorrow morning, or this morning if he wanted to be technical. Well, when he woke up anyways. After that he'd get the operator's opinion of what he should do next and work his way from there. For now, the adrenaline rush followed by the letter and the time left his 10 year old frame exhausted as he hopped into bed and let his mind wander. Needless to say Zaito didn't get any sleep that night.

Authors Note: Yes, I know it is quite short. In all honesty this was a little writing exercise (I've only written for essays until about a month ago when winter break started for me, since then I've slowly started to develop my own writing style.) This exersize has a lot of potential in my opinion. It's fairly original, it has nothing to do with some potter universe where one little thing changed but we STILL have to deal with the damned philosophers stone and all that other jazz each year anyway. It isn't even going into a Hogwarts storyline since he's going to Beauxbatons. It may be OC, but it's not AU technically, so I'd like to know if anyone would like me to continue this. If so, please tell me in a review. I may put up a few more short chapters on this, but if no one gives me a response then I'll prly drop it. Not sure if I've dropped the other story I've started yet. It's much more suited towards a comic (I draw) so I'm still contemplating that.

Chow,

-E