A/N: All standard disclaimers apply. I changed Luna's mom's name to Selene Celest Lovegood from Pandora. To be honest Pandora fits better with her actions but I'd already named the character based on the moon theme prior to finding out her name according to Pottermore. Please note that Rowling revealed that some material on Pottermore was written by her exclusively for the site and was not part of her original notes. I've included my first foot note. Please review.

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BLINK

Location : Dark side of the Moon:

Time: The Space between one blink and the next.

A glowing white female figure sits lotus style on a flat pure white rock. She appears to be made out of nothing but washed out white light, everything in the light lacks color. She appears to be sleeping while sitting.

Death: "Selene I need to talk to you."

A voice that sounds like it was made by a clarinet whispers out "I only respond to my worshipers, I do not have outside powers like you, Fate, or Chance."

"Selene I know Fate made some kind of deal with you so that's just not true. I already threatened Fate herself with going to the BOSS. Please don't make me do so."

"The Old High One Azrael has no power here until the end times, this is not the end times." (1)

I didn't say my boss, I said THE boss."

"I rank on the same level as them, you know that."

"They can override you if you're tinkering with Fate's domain."

"I did not. The mortal came to me, Fate came to me. I did not go outside of my domain. I did not do anything they can override me on."

"You are messing with a mortal soul, that is my domain."

"The mortal offered to pay the price in place of another. They saw the cusp you are trying to prevent. Their offer might help."

"You would allow a soul bound couple to be rent asunder and possible never be rejoined until the end days for this?"

"One is better then many. The cusp is... I can not tell you. You are in play. Your apprentice is in play. Fate is in play. I am in play. The seers are in play. More then one soul, or even soul bonded couple, is at risk. Darkness approaches. The balance of light might not."

"Figures."

"You know, fate would have asked."

"I know better. The balance of light might not balance, as in might not balance out the darkness, which means basically the end days will come sooner then expected. I was here before the spark, and will be here after. I know what happens in between. You do not need to explain things to me, goddess."

"Then you know I should not help you, it will impact the balance."

"I have something to address our side of that, a fractured soul. The balance would be better served sending that back through a cycle then a soul bonded one."

"It would address the balance. However, the moon child must be unstable or untrained. She must not be able to control her gift or if she gets captured all will be lost. The relic of fate makes her more stable, therefor something drastic must happen to cause her to crack. Her mother would not leave her untrained unless she was unable to do so. As long as she lives she can train her daughter."

"What if fate's chosen offers her protection? If he offers the protection of his house and family, as my apprentice I could help protect her."

"You must be careful Mort. To much interference by our side is just as bad as Riddle winning, in the end. The accounting... well, you know better then any of us."

"I expect my apprentice to become the master of the hallows. This is allowed. As you said, fate's relics are also in play. If they join together the accounting will be satisfied as long as the balance is kept."

"A master of the hallows? A mortal master of death? The cusp for our side comes?"

"Maybe. My apprentice is bound to two out of three of the hallows, and he's only fifteen months old. One by blood, one by blood and conquest. The last can only be won by conquest, so the balance will be kept."

"You will give him a choice? Allow Chance to play out their hand?"

"I must. He's a guardian soul though. I suspect I know how it would go even without my influence. In this case though, I am allowed some as he is my apprentice."

"I will allow it then. The mortal did not ask for it, it will not have to be accounted for. You must intervene on the day of Selene's reckoning though. I can not unless she asks, and she will not."

"Thank you moon goddess. May color find you."

"May life find you, Mort."

BLINK

Location: The Rook, Ottery St. Catchpole, England:

Time: Morning, November 1st.

A young woman is inside the Rook changing a baby girl that looks like a miniaturized version of herself, blond hair and grey blue eyes. She appears startled half way through the job and looks at an empty section of the room.

"Death? I know you are there, it is not time for you to visit us yet. The moon goddess assured me that accepting my fate would not alter the time I had with my daughter, only my husband. The balance will be maintained, there is no reason for you to be here."

Death: "Selene Celest Lovegood, I am not here to collect a soul. In fact I was hoping to make a deal with you, an extension of the moon goddesses offer, more or less. You may know that normally I only directly interfere with the death of children who have had no chance to move forward their state in their cycle. Your offer to the mood goddess does two things. It puts you back into the cycle when it should not, and more importantly for my direct involvement, it leaves other parents with their children so that those children have a better chance at moving forward. I can and will intercede due to your willingness to sacrifice for others. It is one of the most potent types of magic."

Selene: "And the price? The cost I was asked to pay, who would pay it instead? I can not ask that of another."

"I have a fractured soul that will pay it. The rest of the soul will still be judged accordingly. That soul is why we are at cusp. There is still a cost you must pay, and possibly your daughter, though I think it's a much lower one. However I should warn you that mortals and those of us on my side of the veil tend to view those things differently. The fact that you were willing to start over at the beginning of a soul cycle instead of taking your justly earned rest and reward shows me that, if nothing else did."

"It seemed like the least painful way, the way to add the most good and still maintain the balance."

"I can't comment on it being that or not. However that is not why I am here. There is another option. This is most secret though, you will not be able to revel it until it's due time if you agree, if you do not then this conversation never happened."

"I see no reason not to listen, at least."

The room glows gray for a moment, every surface covered with the color.

Death: "I picked up an apprentice. My first. He will be given the choice to become an instrument, and he already has it in him to be a master. The problem is he is just a baby, and I can not raise him. I offer you a safe conclusion of this cycle for you and your bonded mate in exchange for raising him. Your residence and grounds will be safe for the family as if he was your own. I hope he makes friends with your daughter. However."

Selene: "The price? This sounds like to much."

Death: "There will still be an accident. Originally it would have happened when Luna was nine, now if you agree it will be when she is six. She is one now, correct?"

"Yes, but why?"

"Balance of course. She will have five years of love and friendship, and five years of loneliness knowing what she had lost. You as well. You will not be able to have any more children this cycle. My apprentice will leave you after the accident. However you and your blood and bonded will live through it. You would not have before, the others would."

"You would leave her friendless?"

"No. I must train my apprentice. He will leave with me sometime during his sixth year. When his identity comes out I'm afraid her other friends will abandon her for keeping it a secret. There is always a chance that things will not happen that way, in which case the balance is still addressed and kept."

"And just who is this apprentice I am taking into my home and possibly our hearts?"

"You will know him and refer to him as James Evans."

"How will that alienate her friends?"

"His real name is Harry Potter."

"The boy who lived? The defeater of 'you know who'?"

"The defeater of Voldemort, yes. You see why his real identity must not get out? Why I offer your family sanctuary of the strongest sort?"

"O?"

"Blood wards. Any one of evil intent coming here while James considers this his home will not be able to harm you."

"That's powerful magic. The trigger?"

"A mothers sacrifice. Not so different then what you were willing to do. Do you see why I think it might be a good fit?"

"Five happy years for five lonely years though. And when she goes to Hogwarts?"

"Send her his first year if you like. I hope they become friends again. Though I would hope you try to keep her nature a secret. Seers have trouble following them just the same as James will."

"Your protection does not extend to that?"

"It is not my realm Selene. Seers and oracles long to be heard, even if none believe them. I can only protect the family while James lives here, if you accept him. If he accepts you it will extend till his maturity as long as he feels this is home, or at least a home. At Hogwarts it is up to them. If he offers his protection it invokes mine. Well, it might. He must accept being my apprentice, he is to young currently. Luna must accept the protection as well, in what ever form it is offered. I can not force him to offer it. I hope living with you will ground him, but if he offered a concubine bond and she accepted it there would be nothing I could do except acknowledge it. You know some magic can not be tampered with except by the invokers."

"A concubine bond? Do you really think things could be that bad during first year?"

"We approach a cusp. It is not given to me to know when the wave breaks. That was the worst case scenario I could think of. I mention that one because if she offers it, and he accepts, they must consummate it for the protection to be extended. Most elven year olds are not physically capable of doing so, so the protection would not kick in until they could. The problem is the rest of the bond is enforced upon agreement of the two parties. I'd suggest a betrothal contract but I will not force what will in effect be my son into one."

"You plan on using the old Master apprentice laws?"

"They are laws because they follow the magic. If he agrees he is protected and must try to learn all he can and find some way to pay me back for my effort. The trouble is many masters abused their apprentices so it fell out of favor. The magic is still there and the laws are on the books."

"What about a contract with an out clause?"

"It'd have to be an iron clad contract with an improbable out. Otherwise we could not act like the marriage was all but completed. I would not force the issue, even if I could. Life must find it's own way."

"You would leave the fate of a chosen of the goddess to chance?"

"What choice have I? What choice have any of us really? James will need love, but it must be freely given. He'll need allies, but he must earn them, along with trust and respect. Luna must bond to him of her will, and his, or the magic won't work."

"It's a lot to risk."

"If you accept you'll already have more then you would have otherwise. This way you'll be there to help her, the other way you would die when she was nine."

"Alright, chance it is then. I'll take him and love him to the best of my ability, and hope that he offers protection to Luna when they reach Hogwarts."

"Thank you Selene. Remember, he's James Evans for the next five years. May light, love, and life be with you."

BLINK