Intimacy

17th October 1997

Regulus' Daughter's, Carina's, birthday fell on the seventeenth of October, and Harry was surprisingly invited by the Concubine himself. In his morning mail, he'd received a scented envelope containing the invitation, with express orders to dress finely.

He complied, his maids having fun decorating him in a way that he usually didn't allow, with twines of silver in his hair and glittering gems hanging from his ears. His robes were patterned with silver birds and trees, delicately stitched onto the fabric by Tabitha's talented hands. Overall, he thought he looked wonderful, although he couldn't help but feel that it was all a bit too much for a child's birthday party. He voiced these opinions to Anya but was quickly shut down.

"It is not any child's birthday, it is her Royal Highness's, the third princess, the daughter of your ally and member of your House. As an Heir, this sort of clothing is expected of you, no matter your ranking in the harem."

It soothed some of his feelings, but not completely. It wasn't until Regulus tucked him under his arm and complimented him, did he feel that he had done right.

"Perfect, exactly what the heir of the House of Black should be wearing." He smiled down at Harry, eyes dragging over the robes he was wearing. It came to Harry then, just how unlike this Regulus was compared to the man Sirius had warned him about. He was still waiting for the ball to drop, for Regulus to go back to being the cold and disinterested man Harry had come to expect. This sociable, caring man was not him.

He looked down at his robes, looking into the man's eyes with hesitance. "It's not too much? I'm only a Noble."

"Not at all. In fact, you could have snuck on some more jewels here and there, and nobody would bat an eye. You are the heir of arguably the most prolific House in all of Britain, perhaps the world, barring his Majesty's, of course." Harry hummed, disbelievingly. "And, only a Noble? I entered his Majesty's Harem as a First-Class Attendant, you are already doing much better than I did. In fact, you are advancing rather smoothly, in my opinion. Perhaps, before the end of your first year as a concubine, you will be promoted to the rank of Concubine, and formally become one of the Emperor's spouses."

Harry blushed at the thought. "Oh, I don't know about-"

A snide laugh came from behind them, and the pair looked around to see Bellatrix sauntering their way, baby Delphina tucked into her arms. "Do you really think his Majesty is that enamoured with this boy, cousin? It's doubtful he'll make it to Concubine so quickly if even I didn't. And I've, we've, got much better blood inside us than any Halfblood could ever!"

"Cousin," Regulus called out warningly, and Harry's eyes sparked with unnatural light, her earlier comments coming to mind once more.

He turned to face her fully, drawing up slightly, the same height as the Consort in her heeled shoes. "His Majesty has many Halfblood children, Consort Bellatrix."

One perfect, black eyebrow rose. "Huh?" She questioned him with a confused expression, having expected an outburst instead of the calm exterior he was wearing. Internally, his magic was raving with viciousness, and it inflected a harsh bite into his next words.

"Are you saying that your blood is better than the Royal Princes and Princesses? Because, to me, that's exactly what you just said."

Regulus turned to him with a surprised and worried stare, stepping between a blank-faced Harry and a fast reddening Bellatrix.

"What did you just-!"

A shill shriek from the baby in her arms quietened her quickly as she paled, shushing the child to no avail. The Princess wouldn't stop wailing, all because the Consort had screamed. Bellatrix flailed worriedly, whirling round to hand her off to a maid with shaking hands whilst she apologised in a high voice. "Mummy's sorry, sweetie! Mummy didn't mean to frighten you! Shush, now, shush!" She looked frantic, catching the eyes of the many occupants of the room who had turned at the ruckus. Bellatrix blushed slightly, sending Harry a glare, pushing on the shoulder of the maid to hurry them out of the hall.

The rest of Carina's birthday celebration carried on without another hitch, however, with the Consort's abrupt exit, the atmosphere thereafter was a stilted one. Harry and Regulus no longer talked about his ranking, and instead focused on the birthday girl, who had turned thirteen, and who still didn't seem all than enthused to be around him.

27th October 1997

For Cedric's 20th birthday, he invited all the concubines who would attend (and who he had the gall to invite) to the Palace of Handsomeness for festivities in the courtyard. Of course, Harry, as an inhabitant of the Palace, got an invite, but Cedric spent some of the day assuring him that he'd have been invited anyway.

"I even invited the Second-Class Attendants, Brother. I wouldn't not invite you, who I am so close to. Besides, you live here with me, and you are the head of this Palace as the highest ranked resident, there would be no stopping you from attending." Cedric laughed, in a joyous mood, having perhaps had one too many drinks.

"I had no doubt that you would invite me, Brother, there's no need to reassure me." Harry smiled up at him, basking in the sheer joy the man was excluding.

"I'm just saying~" He slurred out slightly, beginning to giggle again, giving Harry a wink before he wandered off to another group, starting up a conversation with them eagerly.

A maid wandered over to Cedric and whispered into his ear a little while later, and the man smiled happily at whatever news he had received. The concubines around him coyly urged him for answers, and Cedric had never been the best at keeping secrets- the man being too nice and friendly at times.

"I boldly asked his majesty if he would spend the night with me, and he agreed!" He blurted out with a happy smile, almost vibrating with excitement.

"Oh, that's brilliant, Brother!"

"Congratulations!"

"I'm so jealous! You are so bold to ask him, Brother!"

"Well, you are one of his majesty's favourites for a reason." The group giggled and Harry stood awkwardly to the side.

Was it really that simple? Asking his Majesty, and the Emperor complying?

Cedric looked positively ecstatic at the news, preening under the jealous stares of the other concubines, smiling at the hissed, faked congratulatory smiles and whispers, his head tilted upwards.

"Yes, his Majesty does so enjoy the time we spend together. Perhaps, this time... I may soon await a child." There were overdramatic, scandalised gasps, and Harry's eye twitched slightly as the gathered concubines began to gush and tease- their jealously and spitefulness palpable.

Yes, Cedric was much too nice. One day, that might cause the man to meet an untimely end, something that Harry would never wish upon what he knew to be one of the only genuinely nice concubines.

31st October 1997

Halloween arrived after a week of preparing for the grand celebration, or it'd be more appropriate to refer to it as Samhain, as that was what the Emperor and Palace celebrated. The celebration was a big deal in their world, but Harry's parents had always enjoyed celebrating Halloween as well, his mother still attached to her muggle routes more than she ever admitted out loud.

The whole of the Harem was invited to the celebration, with his Majesty and the Royal children old enough to observe in attendance- one of the only events that none of them, no matter their rank, were barred from. It took place within a specialised courtyard, with a wide field surrounding it so that there was less of a threat of a great fire. A great fire pit, created from rocks that seemed to be onyx, stood in the centre of the courtyard, surrounded by stone benches for the viewers to sit on, as well as tables filled with food and offerings.

In the middle of the pit was a raging bonfire, flames over five metres tall and ever growing with the addition of more logs from the spectators surrounding it. It was a brilliant sight, lighting up the area with an unearthly glow, repelling the dark shadows that crept across the field with the dawning of All Hallows Eve.

The Emperor was stood to the side, holding a conversation with a few members of the Knights, looking as dashing as ever in ebony robes decorated with whisps of white flame. His red eyes were sweeping the surroundings, sending brief smiles when he caught some people's eyes- adoring for his children, slightly strained for the concubines. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and he received a quick smile- unsure whether it was real or not- before the Emperor moved on.

It was... disappointing.

Blinking his eyes rapidly, Harry bowed his head as the Consorts met up with him, and he turned all of his attention onto them, receiving the wreath Isla was holding.

The Emperor stepped forward to begin the celebration, the pair following close behind him, a wreath made of autumn flowers in his hands, ready to be thrown into the fire.

He stopped before the pillar of flame, staring into the fiery depths with an undescribable emotion, standing up straighter. "I welcome you all, both the living and the departed, to this celebration tonight." The Emperor called out in that authoritative voice of his that drew the attention of all those in the clearing, if they hadn't already been staring in his direction. "On this All Hallows Eve, I offer my wreath, made from chrysanthemum flowers and the branches from yew and cypress trees, to my ancestors of recent and old. May they be looking upon me, and the Empire I created and now rule, with the utmost pride." With that, the Emperor threw the wreath into the fire, which burst into blue flames, and the audience 'oohed' and 'ahhed' at the brilliant sight.

Next up were the two Consorts. Bellatrix, as the highest ranked, began her speech first. "My wreath, the wreath of the Primary Consort, I offer to my honourable ancestors of the House of Black- made of lilies and branches from the Acacia tree our family has taken care of for generations. May my maiden house, and the house of my beloved spouse, prosper under your watchful gazes."

Then stepped forward Consort Isla, her colourful robes brightened in the firelight, who began to speak in a language that Harry didn't understand, voice rising at moments, the bonfire following suit. She ended with a bow to the flames, before both she and Bellatrix threw their wreaths in at the same time.

The Concubines were next to offer their wreaths. Penny with a colourful, flower-filled wreath, Alecto with a more plant-based one, Regulus with a similar wreath to Bellatrix's- just more toned down. Felix held one with more branches than visible flowers, and Patricia's was a mixture of both, red the prominent colour.

The Nobles and below had not been invited to join the formal procession for throwing their wreaths in the fire, but once it was finished, they, along with the others in attendance, were allowed to throw theirs in. Harry's was made from the branches of a holly tree and white lilies, with a few twigs from the Black Family's Acacia tree- all symbols of his family. He chucked it in, watching as it burst into bright flames.

After the formal ceremony, the more casual gathering began.

Of the Royal Children of the Empire, only those aged seven and over were allowed to attend the celebrations. Those who attended Hogwarts had arrived for the night before they would floo back in the morning.

It was startling to see firsthand the differences in how the children were treated by the attendees, even their own concubine parents, depending on their gender. He watched as Eighth Princess Amelia was left to cry after being frightened by the flames, whilst her brother Alexus was attended to immediately by a nearby maid. The poor princess didn't even have a mother to run to, the concubine having died soon after giving birth to her. It made his blood boil, but he was under express orders to not approach any of the children, and therefore had to watch the girl cry from the sidelines.

Luckily, it seemed that the Emperor was not one of those who favoured his children.

"How dare you leave my royal daughter to cry on the floor like that!?"

The maid immediately collapsed to her knees, blabbering for forgiveness as the first Prince stood at her side, frowning down at her with bright blue eyes, a pout amplifying his cherubic features. The maid blubbed some more, the Emperor standing above her with unforgiving red eyes and a stony expression.

"Drag her to the Bureau of Punishment. I will deal with her tomorrow. Let us not ruin the celebrations any more than they already have been."

"Yes, your Majesty." Two cloaked figures darted forward, clamping tight grips onto the maid's upper arms, and dragging her limp body away as she stared up in fright, eyes darting around at the crowd staring down at her.

There was awkward shifting around the clearing, but nobody stepped in, either believing that the Emperor was just in his actions, or simply not caring that a maid was being dragged away to a place known for its cruel torture of those who went against His Majesty.

Harry gulped as their eyes met, hers pleading, begging him to speak up, but Harry wasn't stupid. The maid had done wrong. He wouldn't jeopardize any good feelings between him and the Emperor for a maid he didn't know.

The celebration carried on through the night, the children being whisked away to their beds as the adults began to get increasingly more intoxicated and less uptight, inebriated wixen spilling their deepest secrets to anyone who would listen. Harry pushed through this throng, in search of someone he knew well enough to attach himself to.

It was only by chance that that someone was the Emperor, who had been staring into the fire when Harry had bumped into him.

"Sorry!" He called out as he knocked into the body without looking up, staring to brush past, eyes instead scanning the crowd. A hand wrapped around his arm, and in reflex, Harry tugged at it harshly, twisting to shout up at whoever had grabbed him. "Hey-"

A low, sultry, slightly slurred voice cut him off. "My Noble, it is good to see you this evening, we haven't gotten around to chatting yet. How are you?" Harry was struck dumb at the sight of the Emperor, his hair slightly tousled, red eyes lidded and lips slightly swollen. The man caught his stare. "Ah, Penny was rather eager." He stared down at him slyly, lowering his voice. "Do you, perhaps, want to ask for a kiss as well?"

"Um..." Harry gaped unabashedly at the unusual sight of the unkempt Emperor and gulped. "Ah, I'm-I'm not too sure, you're Majesty. You seem drunk, perhaps another time-"

The Emperor drew closer in his moment of uncertainty, staring at him intently. "Your eyes, I've never seen such a vivid green before. They... entice me, my Noble." He seemed to hesitate for a moment, eyes flashing with clarity, before coming to a decision.

In front of the bonfire on that All Hallow's Eve, Harry and the Emperor shared their first kiss, chaste and sweet, any onlookers too drunk to notice the pivotal event they were witnessing right before their eyes.