DISCLAIMER! Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling!!!
His name was Alphard. He was the Solitary One, the heart of the Serpent. He came from darkness and as far as he knew, there was no way out of it, no way to escape something he so desperately wished he could. He grew up with beliefs he questioned silently. He grew up with a notion, and later an acceptance, that he was meant to be alone; he was meant to be the one who would not find solace in someone else.
He was the middle child, nothing more, nothing less. He was not special, nor was he paid much attention. He led a quiet life, one that allowed him to stay in the sidelines, to become somewhat invisible. He never married, and if he loved, nobody knew, nobody ever asked. There wasn't much people knew about Alphard, except that he was the quiet child who led the life as someone like him was expected to live. He was one among many.
Did he know it would happen? Did he know it would be him? Most certainly not, or else he would have made more than one good choice. His nephew was born, and though he also bore the name of a star, it thankfully was not something as bad as Alphard's own name. As time passed, he grew to love his nephew, but as with everything else, he kept it to himself. He showed it in the littlest ways, a simple pat on the head, an occasional visit, a rare smile.
People say you give meaning to your own name, but when you're brought up with expectations that are made very clear at a young age, when you know what you are named after... your name is a factor that shapes you. He was always alone, he was rarely visited, and on that handful of times he was visited, the majority of the times it was his nephew. Alphard never knew when he would be visited by his nephew, but when he was, he was more content afterwards.
One day, his nephew had the bravery to do something Alphard never had the courage to do. He outright rebelled against his parents and bore the consequences with the bravery of a lion. For his defiance he was disowned and declared a lost cause. His nephew was no longer allowed to live in his childhood home. It didn't matter because, unlike Alphard in his youth, he had very good friends he could turn to. Which is why Alphard was surprised when that same night he was visited by his nephew.
His nephew made it clear that besides his cousin, whom he liked very much, Alphard was the only other person in the family his nephew was proud to be related to. It made Alphard so happy, and right then he knew there were sacrifices that had to be made for loved ones. And Alphard did just that. He gave his nephew a fair amount of money, even though he knew helping him would not be following the family's ideals. It was Alphard's own way of defiance. He knew he'd never forget his nephew's expression when this was done.
On his deathbed, he was alone. He had not heard of his nephew or anyone else in a very long time. He knew his nephew couldn't visit him, he knew what had happened. Alphard wasn't surprised at his being alone. He was the Solitary One after all, and eventually all hearts stop beating, just like his. And when he died, he honored the meaning of his name: he died alone.