Intimacy

23rd October 1999- Saturday

Harry watched his daughter from his place on the sofa, content to observe as she patted the mat underneath her with clumsy hands.

Alsephina was hitting milestone after milestone now that she was quickly approaching three months, and it made Harry slightly teary seeing her grow out of her tiny newborn stage and begin looking more and more like a baby.

The first time she had smiled at him, all gums and drool, he had burst into tears, which had then set off his daughter. It had all been very embarrassing once he had calmed, but he looked back on the moment with fondness now.

Sipping his tea, Harry chuckled as she focused intently on the bright red spot on the map under her, tracing it with clumsy, stubby fingers. It was fascinating watching her grow and develop, both mentally and physically.

Another exciting development was that Alsephina now seemed to be making sounds with intent. More specifically, hissing sounds that Thomas proudly announced were attempts at speaking, although ineligible.

Her non-Parseltounge babbling was also becoming more common now as well, especially since she could finally recognise him. Even now, she kept on turning her head, lifting it from the map, to stare at him for a few moments, as if making sure he was still there. 

Every time, Harry would smile and speak to her, receiving a gummy grin and some sort of response, before Alsephina's attention was once again caught by the mat.

A clatter to the side drew his attention, and he frowned as he spotted June sheepishly holding one of his ornaments.

"Sorry, Your Highness. I knocked it when I was dusting."

"Please take more care with my belongings."

"Yes, Your Highness. My apologies." June placed it back on the shelf, and continued dusting for a few minutes. Harry watched this out of the corner of his eye, noting as she kept glancing at him when she thought Harry was preoccupied.

"June," He called out, catching her attention. "Have you anything to report to me?" Harry questioned. She was still his most prominent source of information, especially for the things not revealed within the daily meetings, and the gossip that was shared around the maids. Many forgot that the Maids and Eunuchs were more valuable in information than even they may be. Most had been within the Court for far longer than Harry, his assigned maids included. Harry was slowly attempting to phase out June's importance and replace her position for Lien, Hannah or his newly gained maid, Lola. With his promotion to Consort, he had gained three more maids, one personal and two assigned. Lola was a new maid that his parents had hired for the sole purpose of sending into the Harem on his next promotion, perhaps a little presumptuous of them. But he was glad to have her. His other two maids, Charlotte and Madison, were still too unknown to trust.

The woman brightened, dusting forgotten. "I do! Ah, I mean, I have discovered some information that may be of interest to you, Your Highness."

"Pertaining?"

"I have heard that Princess Evana has recently been engaged! The Crown Prince of Italy and the First Princess reportedly got along so well at a ball recently that the Princess requested a betrothal directly from the Emperor. The wedding is supposedly to take place next year. How exciting!" June seemed to have forgotten she was relaying information to him, as she grinned. "Oh, I'm sure it will be a marvellous occasion! There's never been a Royal wedding quite like it!"

"I'm thrilled to hear of it," Harry spoke softly, and the woman flinched. "I'm sure Her Highness will be a wonderful bride, and His Majesty will spare no expense in making the day a grand one."

Hopefully, this would also ensure that the woman would be around the Court less now. Ever since his refusal to side with her in the fight for the title of Heir, she had been sending him glares every time their paths crossed. He ignored her childish attempts to intimidate him and carried on with his day, but it was beginning to grate on Harry's nerves.

"Of course, Her Highness is the First Princess and His Majesty's first child. It is surely to be a momentous occasion. Hopefully, we will soon celebrate the coming of an Imperial Grandchild."

Harry cut her off before she could continue down that line of thought. "Have you anything else to convey?"

"There is something I've heard the faintest of whispers about." June smiled slyly, forgetting herself and dropping the duster to approach him. She leaned down to whisper in his ear, and Harry gripped tightly onto the armrest as her breath hit his ear. He shivered in disgust but steeled his expression. "I've heard some rumours that the Emperor is planning something big to celebrate the millennium. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but something is being built just outside the city. A stadium of sorts- one of massive proportions."

Harry leaned forward, searching her eyes as she smiled. "How big exactly?"

"I've heard it could be a 250,000-capacity stadium, some say it's even larger than that. If there's standing room, I'm inclined to believe it."

"Find out more about this stadium if you can, I wish to know more about why it's being built, and for what future purpose it will serve. And if you can, June, please ask around and find further information about this celebration."

The woman looked giddy at being given a task. "Yes, Your Highness. I won't disappoint you."

1st November 1999- Monday

"His Majesty has recently congratulated me on becoming a Master Potioneer," Penny announced proudly after finishing the statements within the scroll she held, smiling down at them with contained smugness.

The coming of the colder months had hit them hard in the past week, so the members of the harem were each bundled in layers of robes despite the heating, with their maids pouring cups of tea, the clinking of crockery echoing in the room.

Harry was taking a sip of his- Rose, a flavour recommended by the Emperor which he had taken a surprising liking to- swallowing harshly with the news. He winced, feeling the scalding liquid travel down his throat uncomfortably, placing the cup down quickly to hide his reaction.

"Oh, congratulations, Sister! I hadn't heard that you'd taken your test!" Jasmine called out, clapping her hands together joyfully. The woman was always so outward and lively in her reactions; Harry wondered if they were genuine.

The woman sighed, giggling with put-on bashfulness, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink. "I wished for it to be a surprise, seeing as I've been working on it for so long, and many of you were invested in my success."

Bellatrix snorted, the noise loud as she had been drinking from her cup, slamming it down with a cackle. "Don't act as if all of us truly cared about that."

"And why wouldn't we, Sister?" Isla raised a sleek eyebrow, always ready to challenge Bellatrix, with no concern of the individual. "It is an achievement to be proud of. Not many of us continued on the path of education after joining His Majesty's Harem. I, for one, commend Sister Penny's perseverance."

"Thank you for your support, Sister Isla. It is true, perhaps, that this may not matter to you, but I wished to share the news. After all, His Majesty has been rather busy lately, he doesn't often spend time with us anymore."

"He doesn't?" Harry questioned, blinking when eyes turned to him.

"Of course, you must have noticed, Brother Harry. I only meet with His Majesty during the morning nowadays, he is incredibly busy otherwise. With his eldest children reaching adulthood now, the political situation has become more restless, as they wish for the Royal children to be more engaged politically."

"Oh yes, his advisors are truly being rather daring these days. The nerve of them! Do they not wish for more royal children to be born? There are no pregnancies recorded at the time being, and after such a boon to the number of children recently!" Patricia ranted, seeming genuinely incensed despite the issue meaning concubines other than her would be having children.

"Peace, Sister," Penny hushed her and the consequent grumbling of agreement her loud proclamations had produced from the other concubines. "As you said, we have recently welcomed three Royal children in the past few months, there is a lengthy time until we have to be concerned. In fact, the last few years have produced more children than ever, I do hope that this trend prevails."

Patricia harrumphed. "There are still only five Prince's of the Royal blood. Despite there being no preference for succession of the throne, there can only be one heir. The rest of the children will go forth and continue the Slytherin bloodline, and as it stands, the Princes will perhaps be the only ones to pass on the Slytherin name. We need to produce more Prince's, if only for this reason."

"Then we can be thankful for the recent addition of the Fifth Prince, right, Sister Jasmine?" Penny pointedly spoke, smiling at the giggling Concubine.

"Of course, I felt so blessed to give birth to my son, another Prince for His Majesty. It had already been over three years since the birth of your son, Fourth Prince Rastus, after all."

Her smile wavered a little, but it remained bright in the face of an audience. "Yes, it had been a little while since then. Frankly, we had all been expecting a Prince to be born in 1998, that is perhaps why so many children were born within that year. The Prince's have amusingly come in a pattern, every two years. The First Prince Alexus was born in 1990, and his brother the Second Prince Silas arrived in 1992. We didn't think anything of it until Third Prince Elias came in 1994 and my son Rastus was born in 1996. I suppose we all had our hopes up for the future Fifth Prince being born in 1998."

Jasmine grew a little teary then, surprising them. "Then perhaps my little Atticus is the baby I lost, returning to me."

Penny stared at her, smiling fakely. "Perhaps. On another note, I am delighted to share with you all that His Majesty is in the process of planning a Royal tour for next year, in honour of the new millennium. It is just one of the many events he has in store to celebrate, but it is the one that he wishes for us to begin planning for from now."

"How exciting!" Isla spoke, her book thudding on the table next to her. "When will it take place, Sister?"

"His Majesty plans for it to occur before the next Harem selection and another important event, so it will begin in early February, and hopefully meet its conclusion before the end of March."

"Where will we be going on this tour?"

"His Majesty plans for it to be a world tour, so it seems likely for us to visit every country's capital city, beginning with those in the British Isles. His Majesty has confided in me that there is also a reason he is visiting each country, although he has not divulged the details."

That, perhaps, had something to do with the stadium that was being built. Perhaps there was to be a tournament of some sort, on a similar level to the Quidditch World Cup, which was yet to be held again until 2002.

10th November 1999- Wednesday

Once again, he and Thomas were residing within the Pavilion of Stars, staring up at the quickly darkening sky, just absorbing each other's presence calmly as discussion had wavered long ago.

Harry stiffened as the Emperor's hand suddenly settled on his waist, tugging him closer. In his arms, Alsephina squinted at her Father, her expression adorably put out.

Thomas clucked her chin with a gentle finger, humming. "I'm sorry, did you not want me touching your Daddy, hm?"

The baby seemed to grumble in admonishment, and Harry chuckled at her annoyance.

"My, are you getting sleepy Alsie? Perhaps we should head back to the Palace now." Harry aimed at the Emperor, apologetic for having to cut their time together short.

"Mayhaps I could join you, my Consort? Our daughter can rest, and we can continue our conversation."

He rocked his daughter, blushing slightly as he nodded giddily. "Of course, you're always welcome. It will take a little while to get Alsie settled, however. She's been quite clingy lately, she goes down well, but I swear she can sense when I leave because she always wakes up when I do."

"I'd be glad to assist in that. Perhaps she would like to spend some time with her Father." He held out his hands, and Harry passed her over gently, smoothing her hair when she didn't make a slight fuss. In fact, she seemed quite intrigued at the change in perspective, being higher off the ground in Thomas' arms.

Lifting her head off of his shoulder shakily, Alsephina took in the scenery as they made their way back to the Palace of Great Favour, which Harry had moved into with his promotion to Consort. She looked enamoured with everything, and Harry was glad he brought her along.

His maids scrambled to prostrate themselves before the Emperor when he unexpectedly entered, and the man walked past them without a second glance, heading for the nursery.

Alsephina's nursery was a paradise of colour compared to the yellows that ran throughout the remainder of the Palace. Her cot was placed directly in the centre, with colourful hanging animals over it. The rest of the room was designed for his own comfort, with plush chairs and even a beanbag area for when he wanted to lay next to her. 

Thomas headed straight for the cot, cradling Alsephina's head gently as he began to lower her. She went without fuss, cooing up at the man as he talked softly to her. Harry couldn't hear them from where he was observing from the doorway, but the sight made his heart melt.

He wanted to sear the domestic image in his mind for eternity.

21st November 1999- Sunday

Thomas observed the man beside him, tracing his eyes over his waking form. Harry seemed to have relaxed since the last time they had spent the night together. Instead of immediately rushing to the bathroom, blushing and spluttering as he went, he curled up next to him, and Thomas surprised himself by staying in position.

With the other concubines, he would have left the bed himself soon after. Instead, he allows Harry to rest his head upon his shoulder, the man blinking sleepily up at him, green eyes hazy with drowsiness.

"Are you tired, my Consort?"

The man grumbled, rubbing his cheek against Thomas' shoulder, nose tracing a chilly line down his neck that caused him to shiver. Tilting his head back, Thomas allowed the man to mouth gently at the spot behind his ear, hissing as he felt a bruise form.

Now, this was truly unlike himself. Thomas hated being marked by others, feeling owned.

But he allowed the man to continue. Because it was him.

And Thomas could always hide the marks with his magic to conceal them from prying eyes. Allow only himself the pleasure of laying eyes on Harry's handiwork. A little secret between just the two of them.

Harry pulled away from his neck, looking up at him with round, doe eyes, searching. Thomas smiled softly. Harry's eyes dropped to his lips, and they leaned in simultaneously, lips brushing together gently. 

"Is this fine?" The man questioned, voice husky. Thomas huffed, amused.

"We have gone far beyond this, there is no need to ask."

"But I wish to. I don't want to cross any of your boundaries, you're a scary man." It was spoken cheekily, teasingly, but a cold shard of ice stabbed him from within.

"You believe I am 'scary'? And what has warranted such a belief, especially from you, my Consort?" He questioned, keeping his tone light. He searched the man's eyes as he chuckled, probing for any hint of fear, anything that could break the firm but yielding image Thomas had created of himself within Harry's mind. There was nothing but affection.

"Oh, just the fact that you're the ruler of the world, oh Supreme Emperor Slytherin."

It spoke volumes how comfortable the man was with him now that he could tease Thomas like this, and how fond he himself had become with his Consort. He had noticed a shift between them since the birth of their daughter, a positive one that allowed Harry to be more open, and trusting with him. It was pleasant.

His darling was too naive.

Dipping down, Thomas caught Harry's lips with his own once again, this time more forcefully. The man leant in, chuckling as he reached up and tangled his slim fingers within his hair, tugging at the strands as the kiss deepened.

It grew more assertive, and Thomas could feel the man underneath him beginning to squirm, pressing on his chest gently. He was not ready to let up, not willing to let him escape him-

"Ow!"

Harry yelped, and Thomas pulled back sharply. All he could see was red for a few moments, until his eyes focused once more, and he registered a sharp taste on his tongue.

Blood. There was blood trailing down his Consorts chin.

Harry reached up, trailing his trembling fingers through it, staring at Thomas with wide eyes. He felt his breath catch in his throat, emotions warring between arousal and the little-felt feeling of guilt.

Thomas reared back, a hand still cradling his husband's waist, although his grip had gentled. "I apologise, I didn't mean for this to get so out of hand."

Harry blinked up at him with big, green eyes, before cracking a hesitant smile. "It's fine, no big deal." Blood stained his teeth.

Thomas reached forward, and Harry's eyes contracted, following his movement. He swiped his thumb across the cut on the man's lip, and he hissed as he placed pressure upon it, watching as fresh blood welled to the surface.

"Thomas-"

"Episkey." He spoke, swiping in the opposite direction. The cut healed where his thumb touched, leaving behind only a smear of blood.

"Oh, thank you," Harry muttered, bringing his own fingers up to brush over the healed skin.

"It was my doing in the first place, I apologise."

They were both still breathing heavily, staring into each other's eyes, feeling something shift in the air. It was as if the world had shrunk to encompass just the both of them, and there were no important engagements Thomas needed to attend to, even though there were many. But he didn't think of them in that moment.

Taking a chance, Thomas dipped his head again, and Harry met his lips eagerly.

1st December 1999- Wednesday

Penny seemed to be far more smug that morning than Harry had seen her since the birth of her daughter.

When she finally finished reading the Emperor's decrees and began socialising, however, Harry realised why.

"His Majesty has complimented my aptitude in matters of politics most recently. As his Primary Spouse, I have been overseeing the arrangement of the First Princess' marriage to the Crown Prince of Italy. His Majesty is very pleased with the progress so far, and is eagerly anticipating the Royal wedding that will take place in Spring next year."

There were claps of approval and calls of wonder at the announcement of the Princess' engagement, something which many had yet to hear about. However, the light mood was soured with the snide retort of Felix, who was brooding. 

According to June, the man's requests to meet with the Emperor had been rebuked often recently, and his mood had been dropping with every refusal.

"He did not think to promote you, Sister?"

That seemed to sour Penny's mood momentarily. "No, he did not." She snipped. "However, I am the highest-ranked Consort, and I'm sure being promoted to the esteemed rank of Noble Consort warrants more than a little bit of help in the office." Penny chuckled, twirling one of her blonde curls around her finger. "After all, only late Noble Consort Evangeline reached the position, and she was honoured with the birth of the First Princess and the First Prince. Perhaps with my next child, His Majesty may promote me, which I would be endlessly delighted with. However, this is mere speculation, and we are getting rather off-topic."

"And what of the Royal Wedding, Sister? How is it coming along?" Patricia questioned.

"Oh, it's going to be a splendid, wonderfully sacred occasion! His Majesty is sparing no expenses to ensure the wedding will be exactly what the Princess wishes, and a wedding a Royal deserves."

"Oh, I can't wait to attend!" Jasmine squealed, clapping her hands. "Is the groom of a similar age to the Princess? I can't imagine His Majesty would allow much of a difference." She chuckled behind her hand.

Penny echoed her. "The groom is actually younger, only eighteen currently. He is a year younger than the Princess, but they match each other well. I believe His Majesty prefers this arrangement, as it benefits Princess Evana. The Princess has always had quite a dominant personality, and as the Prince has only recently begun attending official duties, he is still new to the ways of the world."

"Oh my, I am looking forward to the occasion greatly!" Erin giggled. "I'm sure it's going to be perfect, a reflection of your capable planning, Sister Penny."

5th December 1999- Sunday

She sat back on her heels and met his hopeful eyes. Harry felt his lips purse, containing the surprise and elation he felt long enough for the Healer to confirm his suspicion.

"Congratulations, Your Highness."

Harry lost his breath, mind whirring. "Can you tell me how far along I am?"

"It is hard to say, I can barely detect it at this moment, but I suppose you are measuring around two to three weeks. In a few weeks, I will be able to date your due date more accurately."

So early, Harry thought, elation thwarted as reason took over the moment. Too early to hope, perhaps.

"What can you detect this early on?" He asked, heartbeat thunderous in his ears.

"That you are, in fact, pregnant. Not much else beyond that, I'm afraid. Within the upcoming weeks, I will be able to tell you more, but for now, I implore you to take care, and unfortunately not to get your hopes up. The first few weeks are especially fragile, with higher chances of ending in miscarriage." She took in his expression. "I apologise if I have dampened your joy, Your Highness."

Harry drew in a cold, deep breath through his teeth, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. His hands were shaking slightly where he had them folded on his land, and he tried to still them without much success. "It is better for you to inform me now whilst the news is still fresh. I will be careful, you have my word. I will ensure that my baby-" Harry's breath hitched. "That my baby remains as safe as I can ensure."

The woman gave him a kind look, patting his hands gently. "And I will try my hardest to ensure you deliver a second healthy child soon. Your Highness."

14th December 1999- Tuesday

Harry rocked Alsephina smoothly as she sucked from the bottle, staring down at her tiny face, tracing and memorising her features. She was blinking up at him with her red eyes, crinkling them whenever she noticed his stare, noises of joy muffled. He chuckled down at her, holding Alsie gently as she continued to feed, content to watch her as she did so.

Despite his Healer's reasonable warning not to get his hopes up, Harry could not help himself but think of his daughter and how she was hopefully soon to be an older sister.

She was so young herself still, Harry felt a little disappointed that he was going to shake her world so greatly with a new addition, splitting his attention whilst she still needed him.

However, he was also ecstatic about the news. Having another child so soon meant he wouldn't get rusty with caring for a newborn in the meantime, and it wasn't necessarily a bad thing to have a sibling so similar in age.

Alsephina would get to experience a childhood he hadn't- one with siblings, close in age and not born nearly twenty years later. She and her future sibling, and more if Harry was fortunate, would share their childhoods together, and hopefully form closer bonds due to that.

It was consolation in his mind that, luckily, she would have the independence of being within a different school year to her sibling. Being born in August, Alsephina was one of the youngest of her year, as Harry had been. This child would be in the year below, or even two if they were born in September, an entirely possible scenario if he got to forty weeks, given that he had carried Alsephina to forty-one weeks- much to everyone's alarm at the time.

Alsephina made a noise of distress, ripping away from the bottle with a whine. Harry hushed her, gently rocking her as she continued to fuss.

"What's got you so worked up sweetie?" He lifted her up so that her head was leant on his shoulder, and patted her back. "Are you-"

She made a noise of discontent, and Harry made a noise of fond disgust as he felt wetness of his shoulder.

"Yep, of course. The joys of parenthood."