Intimacy

19th July 1997- Saturday

Having put it off for a couple of days, Harry recognised that it was time to begin attending the daily greetings. They were held in the Gathering Hall every day except Sundays, from seven until nine on Mondays, and eight until nine for the remaining days. Formally, they were for greeting the highest-ranking concubines and discussing changes in the harem, such as rankings and policies regarding them. However, most knew it was the place for gossiping, slighting and general dramatics, somewhere to showcase their talents, gain allies and enemies alike, and flaunt the attention they received from the Emperor.

Harry hadn't wanted to seem too eager to join in on all of this, the treasure trove of information that it was, but also didn't want to look as though he was putting off meeting them all formally, avoiding them and therefore seeming weak. Besides, joining on a Saturday meant that there was no meeting for him to attend the next day. It was the perfect day, and so he called on his maids to help him prepare.

Getting ready for meeting the other concubines, however, was hell. The maids dressing him for the day, Kia and a young maid named Amari, were ruthless with their opinions, swathing him up only to rip it all off of him a moment later.

" Your lordship, you must look perfect. Stunning the others, but without standing out. We can't be having you gaining enemies only due to the clothes you're wearing, not on your first day." Her accented voice was soothing, and her smile was mostly teasing, but he couldn't help but frown.

" And how will you achieve that?"

She smiled toothily. " With a little bit of magic, anything is possible."

And, somehow, the girl made it work. Dressed in robes that, whilst lacking in the many adornments he saw other concubines wearing, accentuated his figure and features perfectly with its greenish-blue hue. He walked into the Gathering hall with his head held high, only minutes before the meeting was due to begin.

There were barely any concubines present, however. Harry counted twelve unoccupied seats, one of which belonged to himself. That left eleven other concubines to arrive. He noticed that Luna was in attendance, but none of the other new additions were yet and concluded that they probably wouldn't attend until Monday's session. They were waiting on seven then, which included Consort Bellatrix, who was needed to start the meeting up, and Concubine Regulus.

Harry made his way to his seat on the left side of the hall, one of his assigned maids having entered before him to prepare his space. It wasn't the luxurious chaise the higher-ranking concubines had, but it still seemed comfortable enough with its soft-looking embroidered pillows and conveniently placed side table laden with light snacks.

Luna sat in the seat to the right of the empty one across from him, where Dahlia would sit when she started attending. She smiled at Harry dreamily, giving him a slight wave, the bangles adorning her wrist jingling with the movement. She looked healthier than she had before, white hair glossy and robes fitting her perfectly despite her slender form. He smiled briefly in return at his friend before busying himself with reading his book.

The hall was mostly silent, the present concubines happy enough to sit quietly or converse in whispers with their maids. Harry felt himself relax slightly, something that he berated himself for internally. He couldn't trust those around him not to take advantage of a slight opening to ruin him, even within his first week.

The hush was broken by the arrival of a small group containing concubines he hadn't met yet but knew from photos released to the public every year. They were dressed rather sparsely, lacking the fine adornments he could see others of their ranks wearing.

Concubine Slytherin-Rakepick. First-Class Attendant Erikson. Second-Class Attendant Snyde. They were concubines that Harry was particularly worried about crossing. And it wasn't because they held much power, Concubine Rakepick was only seventh in the ranking, but because of their apparent disregard for morals. Rumour had it, that the Concubine had killed her own infant daughter to get an Attendant executed. One who had only been in the harem for less than a year, and her only misdeed was receiving a hairpin the Concubine had wanted. Harry shivered to think of what else she would do to keep the Emperor's favour.

Attendant Snyde, a rather plain-looking woman whose only defining feature was her violet eyes, sat at the very end of the opposite row, being the lowest current concubine. The knowledge that Rakepick, who coveted the Emperor's attention so much, would associate with someone in disfavour with the man was baffling to Harry. It made no sense, and that's why Snyde and Rakepick's alliance frightened him so much.

Erikson and Rakepick's was much more reasonable. They were distant relatives through their maternal lines, Erikson being somewhat of a nephew or cousin to the woman. Erikson himself sat in the lowest First-Class Attendants seat, having previously sat in first before he and the others joined the harem. He would have been first, still, if over the last month he hadn't gained the Emperor's disapproval as well. Some gossiped that he had created a fuss over his daughter and the Emperor had disapproved, but there was no concrete evidence of that.

Rakepick herself went to sit amongst the other Concubines, between a glum-looking Noble and an empty seat. She looked stunning, if a bit too haughty in her flowing blue robes that accented her vibrant hair colour, a flowery pattern trailing its edges. She didn't even glance at any concubines other than those of her rank, practically turning her back on the Noble to her left.

Rakepick cleared her throat loudly, drawing the attention of the hall onto herself. " Sister, how are you today?" She spoke to the only other Concubine present, flicking her hair over her shoulder. He vaguely recognised the woman to be Penny Haywood, rumoured to be the Emperor's favourite. She was very attractive, a textbook beauty, and Harry couldn't help but understand how she was already pregnant with her third child.

" Well, Sister. I took a short walk in the garden before I came here, the yellow roses look particularly vibrant today. And you?" Her voice was soft, her smile matching it perfectly, blue eyes shining with genuinely pleasant emotions.

Rakepick smiled wickedly. "Hm...perfect. I've had a very enjoyable morning so far. And how about you, Sister Isla?"

The Secondary Consort, a stern-looking woman of around thirty, looked up from her book, dark brown eyes flashing. " There is no need for you to include me in your pleasantries, Concubine Patricia. I am currently occupied." She dropped her head once more, the beads of her braids clinking with the movement.

" Oh, Sister! Concubine Patricia is just being cordial!" Haywood pursed her lips slightly, but her eyes were gleaming with mirth.

The Consort snorted slightly without looking up from the page. " As I said, I'm busy."

" Consort Isla, that is rather rude of you." Rakepick's voice sounded loud and violent in the quietness of the Hall, her magic seeping out a little to cover the area. The Consort, however, wasn't perturbed by the threat.

" My status endeavours me to be rude to those of a lower ranking than me. Know your place, Sister." The air grew taut with tension as the pair stared at each other, the conversations of others petering out at the slight commotion.

" Of course, Sister." The Concubine gritted her teeth and looked away, surrendering the fight. Silence reigned for a little while more until conversations started up once again.

A few minutes passed, and, finally, Bellatrix and what Harry could only assume were her closest allies arrived, dressed finely and sporting blank expressions. Slytherins to the core, the bunch of them.

They walked up the aisle as if it was a runway, three of them sitting amongst the other concubines whilst Bellatrix headed towards her seat on the slight dias, her swollen belly cradled gently in her hands as she sat. The Consort looked over those gathered for a few moments, before turning her head to the woman sitting in the right-nearest seat. " Consort Laurier, how are you this morning?"

" It is 'Consort Slytherin-Laurier', Sister. I am doing well this morning, how about you?"

The Primary Consort sniffed. " Snarking me already? As I expected of you, Sister." She frowned. " I am well. And you, Sister Penny?" Bellatrix turned to the left.

" Oh, yes, I am great, Sister! Thank you for asking. How is your baby today?"

" Same as yesterday, still healthy and fit. His Majesty is most pleased. Ah." The Consort looked up at the rest of them, who were sitting in silence, waiting to be allowed to speak, blinking slowly like a cat. " You may talk amongst yourselves. The important information can wait for a little while." Without acknowledging their responses, she turned back to her conversation, the other Concubines joining in. 

A murmur of chatter started up around him, and Harry was at a loss as to what to do. He could sit in silence and be perceived as either someone afraid of confrontation and therefore easy to put down or believing that he was better than the rest of them. Or, he could come across as rude by butting into someone else's conversation.

Harry decided to sit in silence but appear to be listening intently to the conversation between his fellow Nobles.

"-has been very busy lately. It's upsetting that he hasn't called on any of us in over a week now."

" His Majesty is the Emperor, it is expected that there will be periods when he cannot spare much time away from work."

" Oh! Did you hear that his Majesty visited the children recently?"

" Yes, I heard that he went to talk with the First Princess about his expectations for her final year at Hogwarts. It must have been hard on her last year, with five of her siblings joining the first year all of a sudden."

" At least there will be no children joining until the First Prince begins attending in a few years. Evana and Sylvania would have long graduated, and I'm assuming the current first years will be in their seventh year? Gosh, I don't even want to think about that."

The conversation went along this line for a while until it was halted by Consort Bellatrix raising her hand for silence.

" I thank you all for attending this morning, as we have a few matters to discuss. Noble Potter, I'm glad you have decided to join us for today, I hope you are well?" She didn't pause to allow him to answer, so he simply nodded his head. " Good. Now, recently, the cost of Acromantula silk has skyrocketed-"

The meeting was over faster than Harry had expected, and Anya arrived to escort him back along with the maid who had stayed by his side. " The meeting went better than I had expected it to. There wasn't much to go over, and none of the other concubines seemed terribly concerned with my presence."

" That's wonderful, Master. You didn't want to stand out too much this soon." Harry hummed in response, side-eyeing his other maid to watch her reaction. There wasn't so much as a twitch. Good. 

" Brother Harrison!" A slight shout from behind Harry caused him to immediately turn away from the conversation, placing his attention upon the trio walking towards him.

" Brother." He politely nodded, and Cedric smiled, gesturing to the two Nobles standing behind him, Macmillan and Vanity.

" We were just about to head back to the courtyard, and I wanted to know if you'd join us?"

Harry pondered for a moment. He had yet to have tea with other Nobles other than Cedric, so this would be a good way to break the boundary between them early on. If Harry could integrate himself with the other Nobles, he would have an easier time deflecting any threats. Unless, of course, they came from within the group he intended to form. And before that could happen, he'd need allies more powerful than himself. " That would be lovely. Thank you for inviting me, Brother, Sisters."

" Sister Penny's children are such Darling's, Brother. The Ninth Princess is so sweet and caring despite her young age. And the Fourth Prince is just like his mother, already showing compassion towards even the lowest of maids." Cedric had been gushing about 'Sister Isla' and 'Sister Penny' ever since they had arrived in the Pavillion, and whilst Harry was smiling and nodding along, he could feel his body beginning to droop. " Sister Isla's son is also equally as sweet. He loves to spend time with His Majesty, who dotes on him a lot."

" The Second Prince resembles His Majesty greatly." Noble Vanity commented airily, the glum expression that she had sported throughout the meeting still prominent on her face. " His Majesty was quite surprised to see that he inherited his red eyes once the colour came through." 

" Yes, the Second Prince's eyes are very beautiful. I hope that a child of mine will be born with similar looks." Cedric smiled, staring at Harry intently. " Brother Harrison is lucky to have black hair like his Majesty's. It will increase the likelihood of your future children looking like the Emperor. Ah, I'm so jealous!"

Vanity also stared at him, or more accurately, into his eyes." His Majesty does seem to favour his children whose royal blood shines through clearly. Although... he may favour your eye colour being passed on. After all, green is the colour of Slytherin." The hummed agreements from the other two made him blush slightly.

" Thank you for the compliment, Sister. I am honoured that you think his majesty finds my eye colour a desirable trait."

" Oh, I know so. He's always liked his concubines who've had green eyes, such as Late Noble Severn who was one of his majesty's favourites up to his death."

Cedric piped in. " Oh, I never met Late Noble Severn. Was he one of his Majesty's earlier concubines?"

" Yes, he was chosen in the selection of 1982, alongside Consort Isla, Noble Rosenburg, Noble Lafington and Noble Witt. However, after only a few short years within the harem, he unexpectedly passed away in 1986."

And didn't that sound suspicious. "They didn't find a cause?" Harry asked, eyebrows slightly scrunched.

"No, he was just alive one moment and gone the next, no traces of poison or foul play. His Majesty was, understandably, upset by this, and it was most definitely one of the darkest periods of this Court." She went silent for a moment, staring down at the floor in deep thought. "Anyway, that's in the past, and this is the present. A concubine hasn't passed away since 1990, and that was naturally, so you have no need to worry about how the harem was back then."

It didn't settle his growing worries but instead heightened them. Noble Vanity had explicitly mentioned the similarity Harry and Archie shared, green eyes, and how Archie had been a favoured concubine of his due to them. Leading to his untimely death.

And currently, he was the only one who had green eyes.

The tea ended soon afterwards with cordial goodbyes shared between them all, and they parted with promises of meeting up again.

Walking through one of the many alleys of the Court, two maids in tow, Harry heard a sudden crackle to his left in the direction of a field, a flash following it. Lightning? No, a spell? He frowned, holding his hands up to halt his entourage. " Stay here for a moment." He stepped forward, dodging Anya's hands that attempted to stop him, and peeked around the corner of the building.

A form was almost dancing around the field, sparks of lights at their fingertips, robes lit up by the many hovering orbs. Harry watched in awe as magic flowed seamlessly from the man's hands, twisting into various luminescent animals that joined him in his merriment. The source of the noises and flashes, he deduced.

His breath stuttered as he caught a glance of the man's face as the twirled, the Emperor's red eyes glowing in the light. The Emperor was beautiful like that. Not that he usually wasn't, far from it, but the way his magic made him shine supernaturally was breathtaking. The control he held over his magic was immensely impressive, and so was the ease with which he cast it from his hands. He was exceptionally powerful, not that Harry had ever doubted that, but it was another thing to see the Emperor's power with his own eyes.

He continued to watch, spellbound by the sight, well into the afternoon.

Tom's POV

He noticed his spy the second they stepped into the range of his sensing, body tensing up to protect himself in the instance of an attack. However, their magic was familiar, so he restrained himself from turning around and striking at the person as his mind encouraged him to do. He regarded their magic for a moment and smiled when he recognised its sensation.

It was Harrison Potter-Black. His newest Noble, hiding behind one of the walls to observe him secretly. Tom span a couple of more times, allowing the orbs surrounding him to crumble, deciding on his next course of action.

Well, since his Noble looked as if he was expecting a show...

With an overdramatic flourish, a beam of ice lept from his hand, forming into the shape of a mighty dragon. With a loud roar, the creature made of ice soared into the sky, snow raining down upon the field in its wake. He delighted in the little gasp his display drew out of the boy, waving his hand again to shatter the dragon into a million tiny pieces. Tom breathed in the frigid air, revelling in the feeling of his magic surrounding the area, oozing into every crevice and marking it as his own. Some even clung onto his concubine, unbeknownst to the boy, and Tom grinned in satisfaction as their magic combined. He was powerful and bright, shining like a beacon for his dark magic.

He carried on with his show, shooting out bolts of lightning and swarms of fire, creating monsters out of wind, ice and earth, turning the surrounding vicinity into a wasteland only to restore it with a swish, the hair on his nape sticking from exertion. But the drain was worth it to watch the emotions on Harrison's face fluctuate between fascination and awe.

Tom chuckled to himself in delight, feeling his magic sing.