Intimacy

1st March 1999- Monday

Harry's hands shook beneath his sleeves as he trudged unwillingly, arm looped with Anya's, towards the meeting hall. It wasn't entirely fear that he felt, that was on behalf of the reaction the news of his baby could incite, but a large chunk of his mind was filled with a sick form of excitement.

He felt himself... looking forward to watching their reactions, the shock it would surely provoke. Harry hadn't spent the night with the Emperor since his baby had been conceived, and since contact with the Emperor had been unpermitted during his isolation, pregnancy would surely be the last thing on any of their minds. How could someone, who was subjected to weekly health checks, hide a pregnancy for that long, after all? Harry was glad he'd sworn his Healer to secrecy when he did.

Anya, taking the slight tremors shaking his body to be outright fear, rubbed comfortingly at his shoulder. "It will be alright, Master."

"How can you promise that?" He hushed back at her, biting his lip. "I've already been poisoned to stop a pregnancy, they're going to use any excuse after this. I'm going to be berated over announcing it so late, I know I am."

"They can do nothing about it, Your Highness. His Majesty has already dolled out your punishment, any further action would only incite his ire."

"I hope you're right."

The pair came to a stop outside of the meeting hall, Harry sucking in deep breaths in a futile attempt to calm his anxiety. A few others were heading in around him, and Erin gave him a confused look as he hesitantly headed up the steps.

"Are you alright, Brother?"

The smile he attempted to plaster on his face must have come out wonky because she looked even more concerned than before. "I am, thank you for asking, Sister."

Entering the hall felt as nervewracking, possibly more so, as the first time he had. It felt as if all eyes were on him, and it didn't help that apart from a few, the majority of the seats were already filled. Harry headed for his chair in between Alecto and Jasmine, shifting under the stares.

"Are you feeling well, Brother?" Jasmine whispered to him as he sat, and he nodded, not trusting himself to open his mouth. Her eyebrows scrunched. "Are you sure? Do you need to visit a Healer?"

"Oh, stop mothering him, Lafington." Carrow spat from his other side. "He's a grown man, I'm sure he can deal with a little sickness himself."

"I was only voicing my concerns, Sister." Jasmine harrumphed, letting go of the subject to cross her arms and brood. Alecto scoffed but remained silent as they waited for Bellatrix, as usual, to arrive.

She came swishing into the hall, Regulus to her right, Felix to her left, an uncharacteristic smile on her face. "I thank you all for waiting, His Majesty was in a rather good mood this morning and wished to chat for a little longer." As she sat, she surveyed the room. "He was rather tight-lipped as to why, however."

"Good morning, Sister," Penny said, her voice containing a slight amount of chiding. She was a stickler for the rules, Harry had discovered over the past year and a half. Bellatrix always arriving late must grate on her nerves.

"Yes, yes." She waved her off absentmindedly.

"His Majesty seemed rather eager to hand over his decree to Bella today," Regulus spoke up. "I, for one, am intrigued."

Bellatrix smirked, still in her good mood. "Then, let's not keep you waiting, Cousin." She cleared her throat, unrolling the decree flamboyantly. "Sister Patricia, His Majesty congratulates you on your pregnancy, one which he is pleased to announce is progressing well. He promotes you to the rank of Third Concubine, which demotes both Brother Harry to the Fifth rank and Brother Regulus to the Fourth" She was smirking nastily. "At least you informed him on time. There seems to be a lack of that recently."

Patricia huffed, sitting back. "Of course, I wished to share the exciting news with His Majesty as soon as possible. Sister Jasmine, I am looking forward to our children growing up together, seeing as how they'll be born so close to one another."

Jasmine gave her a shy but genuine smile in return. "I'm sure they'll get along well, Sister."

Bellatrix snorted, shuffling the parchment so she could see the next part. The woman read it to herself, froze, and then scrunched the paper in her hands. Bellatrix's glare would have left him as nothing but dust if it could, her brown orbs blazing with fury. Her magic spiked, and everyone shifted, the hall falling silent. All their eyes were fixated on the Consort and on him, who faced her wrath with as stoic of an expression as he could muster. "Concubine Potter," She hissed, voice like venom. Harry wouldn't have tried correcting her address if she had even left him time. "What is this? You dare to wait so long to inform us?!" The last bit was screamed, the screech piercing his ears. "How dare you? How dare you! Head back to your palace at once!"

"You cannot confine me, Consort Slytherin-Black. His Majesty has already given me the appropriate punishment." His hands shook as he spoke, but he kept his voice firm.

Bellatrix threw the scroll to the side. "I do not care, how dare you?"

"What is it, Sister?" Penny was standing, walking to where the parchment had been disregarded. She read it as well, eyes widening and paling. "You're... pregnant? Already so far along, oh Harry," Her voice was soft, but Harry noted a condescending lilt hidden behind the dismay she projected. "How could you? His Majesty must have been so disappointed. I am surprised that he kept you as the Fourth Concubine, although Brother Regulus suffered due to this and was demoted to Fifth."

Harry stood from his chair, ignoring her words, and began marching out of the hall. He couldn't help but have the last say. "I believe His Majesty would be delighted to know that you don't care for his decrees, Consort, or acknowledge that he has already reprimanded and dealt with my situation."

"Potter, stop at once! I am ordering you to stop!"

His heart beating wildly, Harry didn't slow in his advance, even speeding up as much as he dared. Pushing the doors to the Hall open, he rushed out into the garden, hearing a hoard of footsteps chasing after him.

The Court was alive with activity, and the personnel present had the pleasure to watch as he stormed through them, parting and being pushed back by the rest of the Harem.

A hand gripped his upper arm viciously, and Harry hissed as he was yanked backwards. He met Bellatrix's wild stare head-on, glaring up at her. "Get off of me."

She raised a hand, and Harry stood firm in the face of her violence. Her hand collided sharply with the side of his face, and Harry's head was knocked backwards with the viciousness of it. The sharp sound echoed in the garden, as did the gasps of the other concubines and their maids, who had followed them like vultures drawn to prey.

Harry blinked, the sting having made his eyes water, but he righted himself. Glaring at the Consort, he sneered. "And what did you think that was going to accomplish?"

"You think you're all that, the favoured whore that you are! But that's it! I'm his most senior wife, I'm head of his Harem, and if I ever let an upstart like you treat me like this, you best believe I'm out of my mind!"

The Emperor's voice cut through the air like a whip. It was filled with anger, heavy and without its usual silkiness. Harry looked behind him to see the man in all his furious glory. His brows were furrowed, his face contorted in anger, and his eyes were glowing with rage. He reached them in quick strides, the crowd parting like a sea in the face of his wrath.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The Emperor stood before them, by Harry's side, eyes fixated on the blooming bruise on his face. He could taste blood in his mouth, and with a swipe of his tongue, confirmed that the strike had caused him to bite the inside of it. Thomas' eyes darkened when he dabbed at his lip, which had also split from the hit.

Stepping forward, he raised his hand. He slapped her, her head whipping to the side with the force of it. Harry's eyes widened, staring at the furious figure of the Emperor as he towered over the Consort, visibly seething. His eyes were brightly glowing a bloody red, snarling down at the now cowering woman.

Bellatrix seemed equally stunned, eyes wide as she slowly looked up at the Emperor. Her voice came out a pitch higher than was comfortable. "Your-Your Majesty! Why would you hit me like that? I was-"

"Bellatrix, I have half a mind to Crucio you right here for daring to slap my Concubine, my pregnant spouse." His hiss was terrifying, and it sent a shiver down Harry's spine. Thomas looked mutinous, the violence towards one of his concubines unexpected.

"I'm your spouse, your primary-"

He scoffed, ignoring her, "Harry has already served his punishment, he was confined for a month under my orders. Or do you disregard my authority? Felix served much the same punishment for the same discretion. I won't tolerate injustice like this in my Harem."

The hovering crowd was silent. It was like a scene from a drama, so overly dramatic Harry could barely believe it was happening to him. Who chased someone down to berate and slap them? Over something which had passed and been forgiven by the slighted?

Thomas turned to him, one hand reaching up to brush a finger against his swelling cheek. "Are you well, My Concubine?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. She didn't hit me too hard."

Thomas nodded sharply, backing off a little to begin barking orders at the crowd gathered. "Get back to work, the lot of you! My concubines are not your spectacle!"

Her cheek red, matching his own, Bellatrix stepped closer to him with the Emperor out of the way. "You are a brat! A filthy, fucking blood traitor!" She hissed at him, face almost touching Harry's. Her voice was low enough that it couldn't be overheard by those around them, full of uncontained hatred.

Harry, his cheek hurting, lips tingling, and hands shaking, snarled back at her, getting up in her face as she did to him. "Do you want to repeat that to His Majesty, Sister? Tell him that the man he took as his spouse is a 'filthy blood traitor'? His 'favoured whore'?"

"Silence." The man hissed, and Harry stepped back at the look in his eyes. He gulped, lowering his head to break eye contact. Already, there was sweat beading on the back of his neck.

Thomas had never looked at him like that before.

"Stop with your petty squabbles." Bellatrix made a noise of affront, and Harry opened his mouth to respond. "I said silence! What has warranted such a reaction, Bellatrix? No, I'm not finished. There have been many pregnancies in my Harem, what has made you react in such a violent way? Calling Harry a whore? Slapping him? Chasing him down in a way that so publicly disgraces you both?" He clicked his tongue.

Her voice was petulant as she raced to excuse herself. "It was that smirk on his face, he was so smug-"

"You're all smug! So what? Give me a reason Bella, not to confine you as you wished to do to him?"

"Why-" She stuttered. "Why am I getting confined!? He should be confined, he did wrong!"

"Harry has already served his confinement. Now is a time to celebrate yet another pregnancy, not physically harm the one carrying my next child!"

She gritted her teeth, meeting his furious gaze with her own half-mad one. "Fine, side with that brat and not the woman who you love, who has stayed faithfully by your side for over twenty years!"

"Love? I have twenty-four concubines, if I loved any one of you, the rest would be gone the next day. Do not overinflate your purpose here, Consort. I have never loved another in my life. The one who I care for will be the future Empress or Emperor Consort, and that, I suspect, is still a long way off. Perhaps none of you will be alive by that time, perhaps it will never be filled. Head back to your Palaces, the lot of you, I want you all out of my sight and not causing further drama this morning. I am sickened by what has occurred." He proclaimed this with a straight face, speaking to all of them, not just Bellatrix.

"Remain in your Palaces until I say."

9th March 1999- Tuesday

The explosive aura surrounding the Court still hadn't settled by the time the morning meetings started up again, on the order of the Emperor. 

During the week they had to reflect on the events of that morning, Harry's confusion over how it had all gone so wrong only grew. Patricia's pregnancy had been welcomed by Bellatrix as if it was nothing of consequence, however, his own had received such an explosive, violent reaction from the Consort. In fact, they had all seemed put-oof by the announcement. He knew he was new to the Harem, but such a reaction was surely unwarranted. There had been others who had conceived so early on as well. The only explanation he could think of was that, perhaps, they knew something he didn't. Something along the lines of a possible promotion for the birth of his child, or further favour.

Whatever it was, it left the Court, and therefore the meetings, fraught with tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Bellatrix, she refused to even look at him or acknowledge him further than an opening glare at the beginning. She seemed similarly frosty with Patricia now, although seemed to more readily voice this.

"And where is your bump? I started to show much before this; are we sure there is even a baby in there?"

Patricia, with a deadpan snark, simply looked the woman up and down. "Are you sure that wasn't just your... extra weight. You are getting on now, Sister, it's simply a fact of ageing."

"We are only a few years apart in age! Make some sense, Sister-"

"Then perhaps it is my superior breeding-"

Bellatrix stood, shaking in rage. "Your dirty blood has nothing, nothing! On the pedigree of the House of Black! Its superiority even shows in our family's half-blood heir over there, sullied as it may be with his mother's muddy blood."

The wood under Harry's fingers creaked, and he sneered at the woman. She glared back, turning her attention to Jasmine.

"It seems as though no one here knows how to respect their betters." Bellatrix sniffed imperiously. "One, hiding their pregnancy far beyond His Majesty's wishes, and then weakly cowering in isolation whilst further failing to communicate with us," Her lips pursed. "Another, 'forgetting', conveniently, to inform us, and the last, on time at least, but for how long with this baby stick around, I wonder?"

Patricia stood similarly, hair rustling with the force of her magic. "My son," She took visible pleasure in the reactions that drew from them. "Is staying. And he will be a glorious Prince."

"My son, as well," Jasmine piped up, looking smug.

All eyes drew to him. Harry protectively placed a hand over the visible swell of his stomach, glaring back at them.

"I have kept to his Majesty's wishes. My child's title will be known at birth, as he decreed."

"That's the only thing you seem to have done correctly recently, Brother." Bellatrix spat, sneering.

Harry's eyes rolled without his volition. "Perhaps save the righteous spouting for when you aren't under His Majesty's ire, Sister. I seem to remember him slapping you, I recall it vividly. How much you must have annoyed him to warrant that, I wonder. But, I suppose I am his 'favoured whore', aren't I?"

Bellatrix's dark, half-mad gaze grew colder, and she gritted her teeth as she collapsed back into her chair. "You won't be able to hide behind His Majesty and speak to me like that much longer, Concubine."

"No, by then, I won't have to 'hide behind' anyone at all. Your time, Auntie Darling," She bristled visibly at the taunting title. "Is almost up."

With that, he stood and trekked out of the hall, eyes watching as he left. Harry heard rustling behind him as others gathered their things and exited as well, the Consort doing nothing to keep them there to continue the failure of the meeting.

They didn't meet for a whole week after that, and it was clear to all that the dynamic of the Harem had shifted.

20th March 1999- Saturday

"You have news for me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The man behind him intoned, and Thomas waved his concubine out of his office.

The woman looked startled, spluttering indignantly. "But, Your Majesty, I was telling you about Rastus and Cecelia's week!"

"Important matters, Penny. You may come back in an hour."

She looked dumbfounded, hovering in the doorway as if expecting him to wave her back in and say it had been a mistake to send her away. Penny seemed to realise that this was not the case, and with a huff she spun around, her golden ringlets flying up in a golden cloud. "One hour."

Thomas watched as his office doors slammed shut behind her, and steepled his fingers. "Report."

"The Potters seem to have minimal contact with Dumbledore and the Order. He approached them, but they refused his advances, expressing worries for their young daughter and close connections to you through their son. Dumbledore attempted to capitalise on this, but they denied any further involvement."

Thomas let out a deep sigh. "Good. Keep an eye on them, however. That old coot has never taken no for an answer. The Potters are a golden opportunity for him, especially since Harry is now pregnant with my child."

"Yes, Your Majesty. The others are also focusing on their respective tasks, Hughes will have his report on the Rosenberg family soon."

"Very well." His Knight disappeared as soon as their conversation was at a close, and he leaned back in his chair. A smirk played on his lips.

Dumbledore was growing ever bolder, especially approaching one of his favoured concubine's family's so brazenly. It was obvious he was preparing something, and Thomas needed to respond in kind.

1st April 1999- Thursday

When Harry entered the meeting hall that morning, he could feel that something was off immediately. It only took seeing Penny sat on the dias, in the chair usually occupied by Bellatrix, to confirm his suspicions.

He took his seat, taking in the confused faces of the others who were slowly trickling in as they too noticed. Bellatrix was absent as of yet, the meeting was still a little while off from beginning.

When Bellatrix, Alecto, Felix and Regulus were still a no-show for the start, Penny cleared her throat. Her voice was clear and confident, and Harry had to say that she suited the role of a leader perfectly.

"It seems that our Sisters and Brothers are taking liberties again. This may have stood whilst Bellatrix was the head of this Harem, but I will be reporting to His Majesty if you arrive late. It is a matter of pride to be on time as much as anything else. Clearly, they don't believe so."

The doors opened with a flare of magic, and as usual, Bellatrix and her group sauntered in as if nothing was amiss. That was, until they spotted Penny in prime position, staring down at them unamusedly.

Bellatrix's reaction was priceless, as was her dumbfounded expression. "What do you think you're doing, Consort Haywood? How dare you sit in my seat!"

"My seat, Sister. His Majesty informed me of the change this morning. You have drawn his ire, although he didn't elaborate further. However, it isn't too hard to guess why. I suppose we will find out his reasoning why once I read his decree. Please, have a seat."

Bellatrix stomped up the aisle, a dark sneer contorting her features. "Get. Out. Of. My. Seat."

Penny stared down at her, unimpressed, a blonde eyebrow raising as if to say 'Are you serious?'

"As I just said, His Majesty-"

"This must be a mistake! There is no reason for this!"

"Quite the contrary, I have a scroll here that states quite the opposite. Consort Slytherin-Black, His Majesty announces that you are to be demoted-"

"No!"

"To the rank of Secondary Consort. The Emperor-"

"I do not accept this!"

"The Emperor accentuates that this is due to your treatment of Brother Harry. Your verbal and physical violence towards him, especially considering he is carrying the Emperor's child, is unacceptable. Therefore, His Majesty states he can no longer trust-"

"Shut up!"

"-You not to abuse your power. You have proven to be volatile and unfit for the position of head of His Harem. He asks for you to reflect on this matter-"

Bellatrix stood and stormed out of the Hall in seething fury, her magic whipping about, breaking glasses and vases. The concubines yelped as porcelain exploded and the marble floor cracked under her rage, the doors flying off of their hinges.

Penny sighed and carried on as if the Consort hadn't just destroyed their surroundings. "His Majesty also announces that, due to a discussion His Majesty has recently had with Brother Regulus, he is promoted graciously to the rank of Fourth Consort."

Regulus was glaring up at her, his expression not wavering despite the news. In fact, his dark sneer only seemed to grow deeper, eyes a deep grey. He didn't say a word. The Consort raised her eyebrow.

"Are you not going to thank His Majesty for this, Brother?"

He spun on his heels and followed the path of destruction his Cousin had left. "I will thank His Majesty personally, I think."

8th April 1999- Thursday

There seemed to be an odd tension surrounding Regulus and the Emperor at the man's promotion ceremony.

It had been a lavish affair, although his Uncle had seemed to be less than enthused in some moments. It had gone without a hitch, despite the main character looking less than enthused, and the following banquet had begun much the same.

The Emperor raised his glass in the air, and the hall fell silent. The man remained sitting, looking imposing in his gilded throne, dressed more elegantly for the occasion. "I would like to begin by saying that this promotion has been a long time coming. Consort Regulus has long been a member of my harem, for nearly twenty years now. In that time, he has given me a daughter, the third Princess, who wrote to express her gratitude for her Father's promotion. We have had our... disagreements, but that is in the past now. I am delighted that the long empty upper Palaces are finally being filled."

Polite applause followed his unexpected speech, and Regulus looked mollified. He clapped along from his seat next to the Emperor, a reassuring hand clasped in his Cousin's, who was sat next to him. Penny was bright-eyed and enthusiastically smiling up at Thomas, saying something to him that Harry couldn't quite hear.

The Emperor frowned, then his brow relaxed and he smirked nastily. Whatever he whispered to his new Primary Consort caused her to pale dramatically and shrink back into her chair.