The Harem
Elowen watched as her master paced the room.
He had been pacing for at least 30 minutes now. After the healer revealed his scores and he collapsed on the floor, she left hastily to go report to his Majesty. Her master had been a mess since then.
He was chewing his lips, hands shaking and eyes unfocused. His magic was running wild, barely contained. Elowen had to chase the other three maids out, nobody else could be present while her master was in such a vulnerable estate.
The room filled with unrelenting power, but Elowen walked forward unfazed. She gently pulled Hadrian to a stop, holding him by the shoulders and making him look into her eyes.
She breathed in deeply, helping him do the same. Once he had positively calmed down a little, she spoke. “Master, everything will be just fine.” She spoke gently, trying to soothe Hadrian as best she could. He looked so pale, he was clearly distressed, and his eyes had a sheen over them.
After the healer left no one else had entered the room, Elowen remained inside for the duration of the exams, as was expected of her. She had been astonished at the results, but somehow she had always known that her master had incredible power.
The beauty test hadn’t even taken place. Not that there was any need, as Hadrian was perhaps the most beautiful person Elowen had ever laid her eyes on.
Hadrian suddenly gripped her arms, his shaky fingers digging into her skin slightly. He looked up at her with a sort of pleading gaze.
“Wen,” he whispered, and it came almost inaudible.
Her heart sank a little. She wanted to reassure him, tell him that everything would be ok. She had said it hadn’t she? But she couldn’t be sure.
She was just as scared as he was.
-
Hadrian decided to think of all the ways this could go. From a scale of terribly wrong to perhaps an advantage.
He paced the room again but with a new approach, he needed to be prepared for anything that might happen. He was determined to use this newfound piece of information to his benefit. And how bad could it be to be as powerful as the Emperor himself? Surely it was cause for pride.
But it could also be seen as a threat.
Hadrian wasn’t foolish. He knew there were those out there with the intentions of rising against the Emperor, against his rule.
It was a concerning matter. He couldn’t be assured that they wouldn’t suspect him as too much of a risk.
He sighed.
It was no help thinking about it now, when he was tired and overwhelmed with anxiety. He would just have to wait and see.
-
August 14th, 1998
On the final day of the selection there was chaos in the Hall of Glory. The remaining 6 contestants, excluding Hadrian, were assembled in the hall, and a flurry of activity was ongoing as their maids made sure they looked presentable to meet their Emperor and his Consorts.
Hadrian was wearing beautiful robes, the outer layer being a sort of sheer green silk with patterns of embroidery along the hem and sleeves. He wore pearls for jewelry, and golden rings on his hands. His hair was pulled slightly back by a floral pin that had diamonds embedded on its surface. He looked radiant.
He exuded an air of confidence and calm, walking with grace even as his mind was in turmoil.
As the moment they had been waiting for approached, there was much fanfare as the contestants were presented before the man himself. The four consorts sitting in a circle around him one step below his dais. The Emperor sat upon his throne looking over them with that air of authority. He was clad in dark, almost black, green robes that had silver patterns depicting various images.
Hadrian felt his breath hitch just the slightest bit. The Emperor was indeed a sight to behold.
As they entered the room they all lowered themselves into perfectly synched and low bows. Saying their practiced greetings.
This was a public event, televised for everyone across the empire, and even some dignitaries were allowed to attend and bear witness.
The Head eunuch held out a scroll, he unrolled it and began to read its contents, he spoke of the usual procedures as was necessary. Then he continued on the truly important part. “This year’s selection has been one of the biggest and most successful ones in the history of the Harem. With more than four participants passing the selection process.” He began, “and today His Majesty and their Highnesses are pleased to welcome the new additions to the harem.”
Everyone waited patiently with bated breaths for the rankings to be announced. “Luna Lovegood, heir to the noble house of Lovegood, you have been titled the 7th Noble by His Majesty. Express your gratitude.” As the Head eunuch announced this a blue sapphire was presented to Luna. She bowed and recited her thankfulness.
The rest of the rankings seemed to go by in a rush for Hadrian.
Daphne was made the secondary first class attendant, Cho had been made the fourth and Cedric the fifth. Parkinson was the 4th 2nd class attendant, and a woman named Meliora Depont, apparently a muggle French princess, was made the 8th noble.
All the rankings were said, but Hadrian’s.
The pounding of his heart was loud in his ears, but he remained as composed as ever.
“Hadrian Potter–Black, heir to the ancient and noble house of Potter and the ancient and most noble house of Black, for your exceedingly impressive results you have been given the title of 2nd Noble by His Majesty. This is an esteemed honor, state your gratefulness.” The head eunuch finally concluded. And the moment the words had left his mouth, Hadrian felt the weight of them.
He bowed lowly and conveyed his gratitude. All this was done with the awareness of the eyes on him, some jealous others unreadable or otherwise even proud.
When he stood straight again and he looked at the sapphire blue gem he was given, Hadrian had to grip it just a bit tighter to make sure it was real.
The secondary noble.
-
It was a strange occurrence, the selection this year.
Thomas had never before welcomed so many new members of his harem all at once. 4 were a stretch, 7 unheard of.
He looked over the new faces and wondered if they were truly capable. He never gave new concubines high ranks, Thomas preferred to assess their worthiness himself. And yet he had titled three of them nobles.
It had taken a relatively long time for him to decide the new rankings, especially after the intriguing news Thomas had so unexpectedly received. He had to discuss the results with his primary and secondary Consorts, Bellatrix and Regulus had been pleased at the mention of their nephew’s given rank. They were impressed with his performance, although Thomas kept the results of his magical and fertile tests from them and any other prying eyes.
The man he had his eyes set on right now was nothing like any other person Thomas had let grace his court. Hadrian Potter-Black was an enigma, a true wonder and perhaps a risk to let go. He held so much promise, Thomas would be a fool not to take the opportunity the man presented to him on a silver platter.
Perhaps he had been hasty to name the man his secondary noble, but then again, who had ever matched his power like this before? Who has ever been his equal in absolutely every aspect except name? Thomas would take his chances, and see where this would take him.
-
The journey to the Harem was a long one. It was a sort of tradition to go by carriage instead of apparition or even using portkeys, although they were useless within the court. It was a way of showing off the new additions to the Imperial Harem, people would form crowds and wave or even throw flowers at them. Therefore Hadrian was exhausted by the time he arrived at his new residence.
The Noble palace was beautiful, shades of blues and whites adorned the whole place. Everything was lavish and ornate. Glistening floors, vaulted ceilings, and sweeping staircases. There were two of these palaces, each meant to hold 8 nobles, as there could be 16 of them all together. Each palace had 4 towers, and Hadrian’s was in the northern section, as he was the secondary noble he only had to share his tower with the primary noble.
He had already met some of the nobles that resided in the palace when he arrived, but he had been more interested in getting to his private quarters than socializing at the moment.
Hadrian had 7 maids in his service, 3 personal ones and 4 assigned to him by the palace. Maya was to apparently remain in his service, he had been a bit surprised by this. He also had 2 eunuchs, and 4 guards. He briefly got acquainted with his personnel before retiring to his rooms.
His quarters consisted of 4 different rooms, one for more intimate meets, once he started inviting others for lunches or teas, and a more formal meeting room, it was meant for holding larger events as the room was quite spacious. Hadrian also had a library, already holding some of his added books from the Potter and Black libraries, and a small study. The final room held a dining space in a separate section, a bathroom connecting to his bedroom and a walk in closet.
The bathroom was opulent but made for comfort, the centerpiece was a chandelier that hung from the ceiling, there was also a decorative dome and recessed lights. A large curved soaking tub sat near arched windows, surrounded by white roses. Adjacent to it is a glass enclosed shower with a marble interior.
Hadrian relaxed into the tub filled with warm water and lavender scented soap, flickering candles at the far corners of the tub glowing bright. Elowen carefully massaged his scalp, helping him relax further into the warmth surrounding him.
After he wrapped himself in a dressing robe, going into his rooms. Hadrian’s rooms featured a soft color palette of blues whites and gold accents. His bed had a semi-circular canopy draped in light blue curtains, with plush beddings and pillows.
He had a vanity table made of ivory marble, and a lounging sort of sofa by the arched windows with flowy curtains. A small table was also placed in his room for comfort in case he didn’t want to use the dining room. There was an upholstered bench by the foot of his bed, with carved nightstands by the sides of the bed. There were even more white rose arrangements in his room, they looked beautiful in the soft afternoon light filtering from the windows.
Elowen helped Hadrian change into comfortable inside clothes, Kayle quickly taking over brushing his hair. They served him a small but fulfilling meal consisting of some mushroom risotto, a small side of salad, and a dish of buttered salmon in a dill lemon sauce.
He ate quietly, debating whether he should call his parents or not. Hadrian felt worn out by the eventful day, and only wished to relax into the sheets of his bed and have some much needed sleep. But on the other hand, he didn’t want to worry his parents.
Finishing his meal he decided to make a quick call, just to let them know he was safe, or as safe as he would ever be in the Harem. They talked for a bit, Padfoot and Moony were there as well. They all congratulated him on becoming a noble, the secondary one at that. And once they had seen he was still in one piece, they said their goodbyes and left him to rest.
Hadrian did just that.
-
August 15th, 1998
When morning arrived, feeling well rested after having an uninterrupted 9 hours of sleep, Hadrian was preparing for his first official day in his new home. He was of course excused from attending any morning meetings the first few days, but he still thought it would be good to have a look around and perhaps even get a feel for some of those he will now be living with and interacting with on a daily basis.
Hadrian hadn’t been expecting his friends to be out in one of the gardens when he decided to leave his chambers. But the three of them were seemingly waiting, as if on cue they all turned to him, all dressed in their respective colors, looking stunning and like their positions dictated.
Hadrian had opted to wear simple blue robes, with embroidery of flowers on the helm and the frames and sleeves of the outer short robe. He kept his accessories simple, with a pearl necklace and earrings, a matching ring with small blue pearls making up a semicircle. His hair was pinned away from his face by pearl hair pins and a white ribbon with a golden chain that connected everything together, Kayle decided she wanted to try something new and he had let her work freely.
He greeted them warmly, interlocking arms with Luna as Cedric interlocked his with Cho, and walked sedately through the garden.
They talked of idle things, what they thought of the court so far, how lavish their apartments were and how beautiful everything was.
Hadrian thought to himself, of course things couldn’t remain this calm, when he saw Daphne striding up to them with purposeful steps, Parkinson loyally at her side.
“Hadrian,” she initiated, completely disregarding protocol.
“Daphne,” Hadrian replied, using the same informal tone she had.
She seemed to debate whether she should make any remarks about his friends not following with any kind of greeting, but thought better of it since she had just been out of place when addressing Hadrian.
“A noble then?” She quipped, eyes looking him up and down.
“So it seems.” He replied, not giving her much of a reaction.
She smiled in the way she always did before making a nasty remark. Hadrian had to mentally prepare himself, lest he hex her for whatever nonsense she was about to speak.
“That is quite the high position, I wonder what you did to get there. Surely the Emperor wouldn’t just make you a Noble for a little more than average scores.” She sneered, Parkinson smiling smugly besides her.
Hadrian kept his cool, barely, he could have remarked how the Head eunuch had clearly said “exceedingly impressive results”, but they would just want to keep poking until he slipped and told them exactly what those results were.
Hadrian would of course never do that, however satisfying it would be to relish in their shock. But he still wouldn’t allow them to so openly slight him whilst he had a higher rank than both of them.
However, before he could call them out on their insolence, Cho spoke up, “How dare you speak to a higher member like that Attendant Greengrass? Hadrian is a noble, you can’t speak to him like you are on equal ground.” She said, eyes narrowed but tone calm and collected.
Daphne stopped smiling, instead looking baffled that someone other than him had called her out on her improper behavior.
“Well but it's true isn’t it? He must have done something to warrant such a rank,” Pansy started, looking to support her friend, “we were just curious that’s all.” She excused.
Hadrian curled his lips slightly, in disbelief at the way they were acting. He decided he couldn’t remain quiet much longer.
“We are concubines of His Majesty now, here to serve him, not to question his authority. I suggest we refrain from doing so moving forward, and leave the curiosity for other matters instead.” He said diplomatically, cutting off Daphne on what she had started to say.
She surprisingly didn’t reply back, simply pursing her lips and nodding slightly. Hadrian nodded back, clearly intending to end the conversation at that, but Daphne of course wouldn’t let him have the last word.
“As you say, we are concubines of His Majesty, I believe we should start adhering to the protocols,” she added, “Secondary Noble, Noble Lovegood.” Inclining her head slightly to them, not the courtesy she would be expected to do but still an acknowledgement.
Hadrian nodded to her, Luna did as well, and after sharing a look with both Cedric and Cho they too did it.
After, they had no more encounters with either one of the two, and were content with keeping their distance.
-
August 20th, 1998
Finally came the day they would all be expected to attend their first morning meeting. Hadrian wasn’t sure how felt about it yet, he had been woken up by Elowen at around 6 as the meeting started at 7:30.
He had been dressed in finer robes than the ones he wore on his first few days there, with more intricate designs and far more jewelry. Kayle was content to add as many accessories to his hair as she could get away with.
Hadrian had his arm interlocked with Elowen’s as she led him down the steps, his other two personal maids surrounding him. They walked over to the Hall of Gathering as he would be expected to every day except weekends. He was dreading the prospect of having to wake so early every day, as he was definitely not a morning person.
As they arrived he noted how most concubines weren’t even present at the hall, he spotted Luna sitting in the Nobles section and decided to go over to her.
They were speaking quietly as others began to fill the hall, it neared 7:30, but still none of the Consorts had arrived. Hadrian got up to go to his assigned seat as they were made to wait longer until finally, 15 minutes late, the four Consorts strided in.
His Aunt Bellatrix led the way over to the center of the room, where she took her seat at the throne like chair on the raised dais. His uncle Regulus sat at her right as the secondary consort, the Third and Fourth consorts taking their seats as well.
They all looked rather striking in their copper colored robes, crowns sitting perfectly atop their heads. Hadrian noticed then that his uncle was looking towards him, so he turned his attention to him and met his eyes, relishing in the warm smile that he gave him.
The entire hall had become silent as the consorts made their appearance, waiting for the Head of the Harem to address them.
“I shall begin by saying on behalf of all of us, and the Emperor, that we are most pleased to welcome our new brothers and sisters.” Bellatrix began, voice carrying throughout the room as she looked over all of the assembled concubines. “We are welcoming quite the large addition in this year’s selection, seven new members to His Majesty's pristine harem.”
“This is a great honor, and I want to be the first to congratulate you all on you proving yourselves fit to carry the weight of your new status, I endeavor you to keep proving yourselves from now onwards.” As the consort said this, all the new members bowed their heads and thanked Her Highness. “Very well then, now onto today’s business,” she unrolled the scroll with the decrees from the Emperor.
“His Majesty welcomes his new concubines and reminds them of the expectations they are to meet in their new status. He is pleased to welcome such bright and capable people to his court.” She said, repeating what has already been stated, “He expects that you all take this few weeks to familiarize with the rules and goings of court,” Bellatrix continued to read from the scroll, Hadrian listened to the mentions of protocols but he also took this time to look around at the others. Some were already looking in his direction.
As the official announcements were made, they were all allowed to use the remainder of the hour to talk amongst themselves.
“How is your pregnancy progressing sister?” Imperial Concubine Slytherin-Rakepick addressed the third consort.
“My babes are in good health, as I am, thank you sister for asking.” The woman answered, a hand smoothing over her swollen belly.
Consort Ophelia Slytherin-Hawthorne was over 5 months into her pregnancy, and was already measuring quite large. She had given birth to two Imperial children already, first the 11th Princess and two years later the 3rd prince, and was now happily awaiting her third.
“I am pleased to hear so sister, please take good care, I am sure you and His Majesty are very happy to welcome your new child.” Patricia said, her smile seemingly warm. They were known to have close ties, their families being friends.
“We are, sister, His Majesty is most pleased with our new addition.” She said, now looking smug and self satisfied. She received a few jealous glances from some of the others, but no one dared to say anything.
The attention was swiftly turned to the consort and her pregnancy, much to her obvious delight.
They had just been discussing due dates when Bellatrix spoke, “Do you perhaps know sister, if you are to be giving birth earlier? It did happen with your previous pregnancy.” She said, feigning concern.
Ophelia tensed at her comment about her last pregnancy, it had been a difficult one, but then she quickly plastered a picture perfect smile turning to Bellatrix before speaking. “No sister, it seems like this pregnancy will carry until the assigned date. The healers are sure it will be a more smooth one.” Her smile became all the more artificial when Bellatrix simply nodded her head and turned to talk to Regulus at her right.
The two consorts were clearly not on good terms then, but it was to be expected, as for the past 5 years or so they had been relentlessly competing for the Emperor’s favor.
Most knew who was winning.
“Secondary Noble,” Hadrian heard a voice say at his side. He turned to his left to look at the third noble Malric Velmoor.
He was a serene man, looking to be in his thirties. He had this sort of quiet beauty that made him seem more approachable than some of the other concubines, he wore fine but simple robes with just the right amount of jewelry.
“Noble Velmoor, pleased to make your acquaintance.” Hadrian replied, giving the man a slight polite smile and nod.
“Please call me brother, I am pleased to meet you as well.” He said, this time with a slight smile of his own.
“Then you must also call me brother.” Hadrian smiled a bit more genuinely now.
They chatted for a bit, some of the other nobles joining in on their conversation. The rest of the meeting seemed to go on without any arguments or tense exchanges.
All in all, it was a relaxed first morning meeting.
If only they could all be this way, but that was a rather lofty ideal. Hadrian focused on enjoying this calm moment without any of the drama filled scenes that often took place in moments such as this, where all concubines were within the same space.