The Noble and Most Ancient

Prologue

When Cassiopea Black and Kol Riddle's first child was born on November 3, there was no point in thinking about the name. Sirius Alphard Black - or Sirius the Fourth Black - was a quiet boy from the start. He rarely cried. Even less often did he wake them in the middle of the night, and as he grew older Sirius became the quiet leader of their little pack. Well, when Delphi and Teddy were gone.

"Mom?" Sirius cocked his head to one side, looking at the little boy in the cradle. The last Black child, whose name it was Sirius had learned, was breathing heavily from the start. "Is Alastair alright?"

Kol walked over to his oldest son. Delphi and Teddy were sitting by the door, the others were at home. Bellatrix's daughter and Tonks' son looked at each other. No matter how much they tried to explain it to them, the two of them continued to think that they had no place in this family. That they don't belong here. However, Cassie saw both of them as her own children. "Al's just... having a little trouble breathing. It's gonna be alright, kid."

"Delphi?" Cassie called. "Come here, sunshine." Delphi - only seven - was already a clone of Bellatrix with her dark hair and gray eyes. Sometimes she even walked proudly and confidently as if she was the little princess in their kingdom. "Are you listening to me?" Delphi nodded. "Okay. I want you to go downstairs - you, Sirius and Teddy. Get the others too..."

"But... You want... you want us to go play?" Cassie nodded. He didn't want the kids to see the rest of the night. "Cassie? He's going to...is he going to my mom?"

"No!" Cassie and Kol said at the same time.

"What do we say to death when it looks us in the eye?" Cassie asked quietly.

Delphi hesitated for a second. For her seven years, Delphi was smarter than the others. She was the one who realized what was going on better than the others. That was why Cassie had allowed herself to say these things to her. "Not today."

****

Kol had been through a lot because of his wife. He had killed for her. He had traveled the world for her. It was... What hadn't he done for her? But what he never imagined he would be doing was sitting with her in their bedroom as they watched their son die. 

Alastair was a thin baby boy that Cassie had given birth to after an overly long and complicated labor. A birth during which Kol had never once left her side. She screamed - howled - under the full moon on January 14th. Kol was trying - in any way he could - to ease Cassie's pain, to distract her.

It was three in the morning when he returned to her. He had gone through each of his children's rooms. The twins were snuggled up in Delphi's bed. Dany was long gone in dreamland - as were Regulus and Teddy. It was the only thing that could keep him away from his thoughts. For Alastair, for Cassie, who hadn't even slept in the last two days. "Little Rose?"

It had been so long since the first time he called her that. They were thirteen years old and all he saw in her was a rose. A beautiful flower that could hurt, albeit secretly. He had no idea then what was about to happen. That Cassie would become the Dark Lady, the Minister of Magic, and... Too many things.

"How?" 

"What?" 

"How come you don't think about all this all the time? Don't you think this is Fate's way of punishing me? For everything I've done." 

Everything she had done. Sometimes - late at night - Kol heard names. 

Sirius. 

Ted.