Prologue
“Sorrow is knowledge, those that know the most must mourn the deepest, the tree of knowledge is not the tree of life.”
—Lord Byron
The clock stilled and a wish was made.
Octavian Nür Black sat watching his two children and then, strangely, the clock began to turn back time. Little Romola was now five, performing her first bit of accidental magic. Now Hadrian was being born, Octavian alone but for his brother and his father, screaming that he wanted Henri Jacques although he was gone.
Next, as the clock continued to turn, Harry fell to the floor, dying, his husband’s name on his last breath. Two of the Deathly Hallows passed then to his husband.
Death looked on Octavian and knew that he must grant a request to restore life, hoping that it would never come to that. But it had.
Now Octavian was lying on a bed covered in rose petals, begging Harry to love him, and Harry was looking down at him with so much love in his eyes that Octavian’s heart almost burst. They were standing in the Charms corridor, their fingers just touching, as Harry stuttered his invitation to lunch, and Octavian watched him warily, wondering if he was going to be treated like a whore, just like his mother always was.
All the while a lullaby played, speaking of loss and love, and they somehow heard it, somehow recognized it, although they wouldn’t remember it from one passing second to the next.
Then there were long years where they didn’t see each other, which followed the dementor attack on the train when they had first met.
Nothing.
A girl dancing in the moonlight with sparks all around her and a different decision. There had to be a change. For all this not to happen again, something must alter. Severus Snape had to cast the Imperius Curse on Lucius Malfoy and he had to rape Lucrece Prince in turn. But after…?
That was all a gamble.
There were so many permutations, so many alterations of what could happen in the time line. Love was strong. Love must prevail. Death knew this as he wrapped his cloak around himself. The wish was for Octavian Nür Prince and Harry James Potter to be together once again. However, Harry could not die.
Oh, if he had never met Octavian that day on the train before his third year, he would have found the horcruxes, would have sacrificed himself, would have come back to life and married Ginny Weasley and had three children. He never would have been happy. He could never be happy without his soulmate, without Octavian. However, he would have been content with his lot in life, would have taken pride in his children.
Octavian would have been recognized at the end of the war and gone on to marry Rose Zeller. He never would have become Lord Prince. Troy Prince would never have known about his grandson. Octavian would have been unhappy. He would always know that something was missing. There never would have been children.
However, Octavian could not stay with La Princesse. That’s what led to this mess. Supposed neutrality. A Frenchman’s outside opinion.
Then there are two choices: Lucius Malfoy claiming him at some point in his childhood, Narcissa watching on, or the Princes taking him on as their own. So many decisions, decisions, and not even Death knew which would be the better path.
