Intimacy

31st December 2000- Sunday

Thomas noticed that his husband's breath had ceased as he lay still beneath him, frozen in fear. The man was still a vision, sprawled over his sheets, black hair mussed and cheeks flushed, but the emotions the man exuded ruined any fantasies. Harry's green eyes were staring up at him imploringly, whether that was to plead with Thomas to understand or to have mercy on him.

He was unsure where he had gone so wrong, for his Noble Consort to believe he would ever harm him. Not now, that Thomas found himself truly caring for a person for the first time in his life. The man, his husband, was irreplaceable. He had presented himself softly to Harry, a man so unlike his true self and violent nature, all because of his growing fondness. Thomas had taken great care to hide what allowed him to be a successful conqueror and overruler. So why did his husband fear him?

Thomas tried to soften his features, but Harry was still stiff beneath him, and not in the way he enjoyed. He sighed internally, leaning back so that he wasn't looming over the man. This, at least, had Harry drawing in a gulping gasp of air, which he let out in a babble of convoluted, rushed words.

"Thomas, please, I didn't- I swear I- I just started understanding Alsie one day and- I can't speak it at all- swear I didn't mean for this to happen-" Thomas raised a hand, cutting off his husband's words with a wave of magic. Harry's jaw clamped shut, and he shrank into himself, drooping as the nervous energy drained out of him. Now, he just appeared resigned.

Thomas clicked his tongue, which had Harry flinching. "Don't act like that."

His husband drew in a deep breath, taking a few seconds. When Harry responded, his voice was hesitant and filled with confusion. "...What?"

"Afraid of me, as if I will harm you. I will not." Thomas stated, the words truthful.

Harry blinked up at him with a deer in headlights expression, green eyes glowing. "But..." The man trailed off, and as he was thinking, Thomas fixed his robes, straightening out the wrinkles that had formed. Tonight would not go as he had planned, but Harry had perhaps given him the greatest birthday gift. "I can understand Parseltounge."

"So it seems."

"And, and I didn't inform you right away..."

Blinking, he held in a sigh. "I am sure you were worried about my reaction. I am not displeased with this development. It is not... wholly unexpected, but rare. Such understanding has not occurred in a long while within the spouses of my family line, and certainly not to another of my concubines. You do not have my disapproval. I am, truthfully, rather thrilled." Thomas smiled at the look of wonder his husband sent him, and accepted the rather desperate kiss the man gave him.

He was conflicted over this development, within the confines of his private thoughts.

He had his suspicions as to how Harry could have developed this talent. Of course, Harry was related to the Slytherin line somewhere, but his talent would have remained latent since both of his parents had to descend from it for the child to speak. In most cases. Thomas was a blaring exception. There had only been a rare few of those in the long history of the Slytherin line.

Another was the ring he had gifted his husband, which contained a sliver of his soul. He had not wished to tear his soul in half as the Horcrux ritual had demanded, so he had discovered another option. The soul piece was not exactly sentient, but perhaps it could be influencing his husband slightly, and if he knew himself, the younger Thomas would surely be intrigued with the man he so obviously favoured.

The third option, and the one he placed the most significance in, was because his husband had given birth to three of his children, one of which had clearly inherited the ability to speak Parseltongue. Sometimes, due to the carrier being so intimately involved in the creation and care of the child, they would be left with additional abilities once said child was born. There had been cases of such in the past occurring. In the early days of the Slytherin line, when their House had been rising in power, they had not intermarried. In fact, Salazar Slytherin's wife herself was from a family with little known connection to the Slytherin line. In his chronicles, which Thomas had discovered in the Slytherin Library all those years ago, his ancestor had detailed his suspicion that his wife could understand him, a talent which had only begun to show itself after the birth of their first parsel-speaking daughter. He had noted this talent only seemed to grow as their daughter did, and increase further with their son's birth. However, there had been no account of Lady Slytherin speaking the language. This talent had shown itself every few generations, when the children were notably strong.

However, only a few centuries back, suspicion began to plague one notable Lord of the Slytherin family, the last of them, from whom the Gaunt line descended from. His son had only given him granddaughters, seven of them, and the man, in his hysteria, had blamed both his own wife and his daughter-in-law, accusing them of stealing their magic and ability to produce male heirs. He had both of them killed. Heartbroken, his son soon followed, leaving the Slytherin line down to eight members. He'd had to choose his grandson-in-law carefully, or face the idea of the Slytherin line dying out. The Lord had decided to marry his eldest grandaughter to an upcoming Lord, from the House of Gaunt, a name notable for producing sons and not many daughters. The man agreed to give up his name and take on the Slytherin one, despite lacking brothers to take over, in the confidence that he would have more than one son to take over both Houses. The Lord Slytherin had died, confident that he had secured his Houses future. However, Gaunt and his Slytherin wife only had one son, and in fear of his House falling into obscurity, the boy became the next Gaunt Lord. The Previous Slytherin Lord had not set up matches for his other granddaughters with expectations, so the family name was lost to time, and suspicion set in heavily.

The Gaunt Lord, conscious that he didn't possess Pareseltounge despite descending from the Slytherin line himself, and neither did his son, became obsessed with the ability. He hypothesised that a match with stronger Slytherin blood for his son would result in the ability manifesting once more. So, his son married his first cousin, the daughter of the third daughter of the Slytherin Lord, and that union produced three parselmouths. The precedent was set. When generation after generation, more parselmouths continued to appear, the Gaunts ignored the sneers of society for marrying cousin to cousin, brother to sister. They lauded the fact that they were keeping the ability individual to their family, ignoring the signs of encroaching instability and magical weakness. Thomas was thankful that his mother had taken the initiative, whether purposefully or not, to add new, unrelated blood to their line, giving birth to the most powerful Slytherin descendant in centuries.

Thomas was surprised that Harry could understand him, and he was peeved that the man had been listening to his privately expressed words without acknowledging them for however long he could understand. But, ultimately, Thomas felt relieved, and took his husband's ability as a sign. The Slytherin line was returning to its former glory once more.

1st January 2001- Monday

The morning meeting started far too early, in Harry'sopinion. He'd removed himself unwillingly from the soft, warm confines of Thomas' bed, the man having awoken to start his duties hours before. An Emperor's day started early, far earlier than a concubine's. Still, Harry bemoaned, shivering at the chill in the air despite copious warming charms and a thick robe covering his more ornate one.

He was thankful Anya had set up a tray of tea to the side of his chair, and sipped on a cup happily as he waited for the hall to fill. Everyone was on time, as was usual for the first meeting of the month. When the last concubine had arrived, a harried-looking Jasmine who he waved to her chair with a smile, Harry began the meeting.

"Good morning, Sisters, Brothers, and a happy new year." He let the following greetings and well-wishes die out before continuing. "I am afraid to say that today there will be no changes to the rankings, however, this also indicates that His Majesty is content with us this last month, and none have overstepped their bounds."

There were slight groans and chittering about their hopes being raised for nothing, but the Harem was quick to settle as other topics were brought forth, and the meeting turned more into a gossiping session than an official discussion.

Harry was content to mostly listen, interjecting when an interesting topic was brought up, and answering questions and queries if asked. One, however, knocked Harry off kilter.

"Brother, it has been noted before, but some of us are still concerned that we are not receiving our fair due of attention from His Majesty. It is expected of the Head of the Harem to spend the Emperor's birthday with him, but did you request the Emperor to consider spending the night with another soon whilst you were, Brother? His Majesty hasn't been requesting such as of late, and with only Sister Penny expecting a child, we are concerned about the future of the dynasty." Patricia spoke, her eyes glinting stonily.

In his thoughts, Harry sneered. The Emperor had twenty-five children, for Merlin's sake, and one on the way! Why were they all concerned about the continuation of the dynasty when there would never be a constitutional crisis with the amount of children the man had? In fact, the amount itself may cause problems, as only one child could become the next Emperor or Empress, or perhaps a grandchild if the Emperor did not find any of them worthy of the throne. That was twenty-six Prince's and Princess' to give titles to, keep entertained, and provide lavish upkeep for. Surely at least one would grow covetous of another's appointment, or even the position of Emperor or Empress itself.

Still, he could not relay such thoughts to the others. They would accuse him of all sorts, such as attempting to 'horde' Thomas, deprive them of 'performing their duty' or robbing them of possible children. He had been accused of all at one point. Harry would also not say as such, because he wished for more children of his own as well, although perhaps not just yet. Another few months of enjoying his three perfect children, andperhaps he would broach the idea to Thomas. He was concerned over the man's reaction to Penny's forthcoming fourth child, after all. What if three truly was the limit? Thomas had not made such a rule known when they were discussing their hypothetical children all those years ago. Perhaps it was the fourth pregnancy, not the child. Harry had three children from only two, thanks to the twins, despite how scared he had been whilst pregnant with both of them. Yes, it would be best to wait. The thought of another pregnancy still didn't evoke the happiest of feelings.

"The future of the dynasty is more than secure with twenty-five, soon to be twenty-six royal children, Sister, I would not be concerned. These past few years, we have been blessed to welcome so many new children, however, might I remind you that there have been periods of low births before. And we cannot truly call this such a period, as there is in fact a royal child on the way."

Patricia scoffed at his answer, although did not continue. Instead, it was surprisingly Jasmine who spoke next.

"Could you still broach the topic with His Majesty, Brother? I would be most grateful, and I'm sure many others would be as well. I dearly do want to give a sibling to my son."

As if having one of his allies speak against him, as nicely and as genuinely as she had worded it, had broken down a barrier, others began to speak up, beseeching him or berating him in a round about way. Harry sat there, blinking, attempting to keep his steadily raising temper in check. He decided to answer Jasmine, ignoring the rest of the concubines who were now talking over one another.

"I will, Sister, although, I remind you all that His Majesty makes the executive decisions. If he does not want to spend the night with you, he will not. If he has not approached you, do you truly believe he will do so if I nag him?" Harry let those words hang in the air for a few moments, taking in their dismayed, annoyed expressions, and sighed.

They would never be content.

7th January 2001- Sunday

Elson entered his office appearing unusually chipper, and Thomas was immediately suspicious. The Eunuch was holding a scroll in his hands, tied with a golden ribbon and made from the finest quality parchment.

"What is it, Elson?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow as the Eunuch simply placed the scroll on his desk, stepping back to bow deeply.

"This was sent with the utmost importance, Your Majesty."

Thomas unfurled it as the Eunuch spoke, taking care to smooth it out and stick it flat to his desk with a quick spell. Within the scroll was the perfect scrawl of his eldest daughter, Evana. Seeing that it was from her, his suspicions increased. As soon as he began reading, it became obvious what the letter contained.

She was pregnant with her first child, already fourteen weeks along. His daughter asked him for his blessing to name the child, if a boy, after himself, and if a girl, after her mother, Evangeline.

He was to be a grandfather.

Thomas closed his eyes, breathing in deeply through his nose. The soft click of the door closing signalled that Elson had left to give him a moment of privacy, and he allowed himself, in the solitude of his secure office, to smile. Truly.

It had taken many years to get here. The Slytherin line was now flourishing, soon to welcome its first member of a new generation. Thomas couldn't believe, from not wanting a single child his whole adolescence and early adulthood, that his family was growing in such a way.

Spelling a piece of perfectly cut parchment onto his desk, he began to write his response to his daughter, giving his sincere consent to her every request, and promising that her child would receive the full benefits of a descendant of his line. This first grandchild of his would be a royal twice over, and be the foremost of the second generation of blood connections the Slytherin line had with the Nobles of the world.

A little King or Queen in the making, in their own right, after their Paternal grandfather and father.

10th January 2001- Wednesday

For a change of pace, despite it still being in the dead of a rather chilly winter, Harry had planned a picnic for himself, his children, Prince Alexus and Princess Amelia. They were within the Pavilion of Moonlight, a warming charm Harry had cast over the area to keep them cosy, with platters of both typical picnic snacks and warm food to fit the weather. There were small sandwiches with various fillings such as prawn, cheese, tuna and jam, tiny sausages and sausage rolls, pasties, salads and soups, and many sweet pastries to snack on in between. His maids, and those of Alexus and Amelia, had outdone themselves.

He was content to watch the children play and chatter amongst themselves, Alexus and Amelia being gentle with Alsephina whenever she took an interest in what they were doing. The twins were rolling around by Harry's side, shuffling forward whenever the toy they wanted was flung out of reach. The pair of them seemed more content to stay put, whereas Alsephina had been up and about the moment her body had allowed it.

"I'm going to be an Uncle soon too, Uncle Harry!" Alexus exclaimed suddenly, his voice full of exuberant joy, and Harry blinked at the young boy.

"Pardon?" Harry questioned, unsure if he had heard him correctly. He had, as the boy enthusiastically repeated himself. "Is that so? From Her Highness, the First Princess?"

"Yes, sister is having a baby! Father told me so, and they really are going to be my nephew or niece, because Eva is my actual sister!" He stuttered as he looked towards Amelia, a look of regret on his face. "I mean, my full sister. And, I guess, they can be Amelia's nephew or niece as well."

The girl in question smiled softly, placing a hand on Alexus' arm. "I'm excited, too. There's been babies before, but this one isn't a new brother or sister."

Alexus nodded his head vigorously in agreement, his smile wide and infectious once more.

"Yeah! I hope we have more soon, since Second Sister Sylvania is thinking of beginning a betrothal with a Lord soon, or maybe it's that she's scouting some out? Either way, I want lots and lots of nieces and nephews!" The Prince exclaimed, and Harry chuckled. Amelia was smiling shyly, but nodding her head along to his rambling.

In moments like this, it was easy to forget the sort of place these children had been raised within, and the way Alexus was glancing at him now and again, assessing his reactions to this news. The boy reminded him of the Emperor in ways the ones who shared the man's features couldn't compete with.

Harry wondered if the boy was on that list of possible Emperor's in Thomas' mind, or if his Father had another plan for him in the future.

Alex eyed Uncle Harry thoughtfully, watching as he ruffled the blond locks of his newest brother, and gently wiped the mouth of his youngest sister, whose hair was switching between various vibrant shades. He showed no favouritism between them, eyes glancing up to check on Alsie every few minutes as well.

It was a stark contrast to what he had observed with other concubines who were the Mothers and Fathers to his other siblings, especially those who had multiple. They always had a favourite, the one they wanted to push into the highest position at the expense of their siblings.

As Evana liked to whisper harshly to him when she was feeling especially mean, Mother had dearly wanted Alexus specifically because he was a boy, and if she hadn't died because of him, she would have pushed for him to take the throne after his father with vehemence. His sister always said she wasn't sure whether she was upset or not that Mother had died so soon after his birth, but she still blamed him for it. If Alexus hadn't been a boy, Mother wouldn't have died. Vivi was much nicer about it, but his second sister held him at arms length, which is why Alexus sought out the attention of his other siblings and concubines instead.

His brothers, however, rarely interacted with him. There had been attempts on his part to get to know Silas when they were a little younger, and still the only two Prince's. However, his younger brother, still only two at the time, had screamed his head off and gone running to his mother. Consort Isla hadn't let them play together after that, confusing his three-year-old self greatly.

Elias and Rastus were both kept away from him. Alexus knew that Concubine Felix didn't really like him, so he had stayed away from Elias, but it had been confusing to be refused by Consort Penny to hold his newborn brother Rastus. He was five then. That lady, who had acted so nice before her own son was born, seemed to forget about the Prince she had gifted presents and treats to immediately. He still distrusted her immensely to this day, over four years later.

As for Atticus and Enis, they were both still too young, although at least he had gotten to meet the both of them. Concubine Jasmine seemed nice, if a bit standoffish, and Father had taken him to see the newly orphaned Enis after Noble Erin had passed away. He and his brother were both orphaned Prince's. Perhaps that would create a connection between them, as a similar connection had formed between him and Amelia.

His other sisters were a mixed bunch, some kind, some nasty or dismissive, and others far too affixed to Alexus to be genuine. From his experiences with his full sisters, he tried not to get too attached to any of them, with the exemption of Amelia.

And then, Uncle Harry had proved himself to be one of the only of his Father's concubines to treat all of his children fairly, and to allow Alexus to meet with them. He had still been wary when it was only Alsephina, as much as he could see that Uncle Harry loved his daughter, conscious that Consort Penny had been much the same. He was mollified with the birth of his two youngest siblings, a new Prince and Princess that would surely show if Uncle Harry was like the others, preferring one child over others, whether that was due to gender or age order. But, Harry was still the same after. Alsephina still received attention, but she also didn't overshadow her younger siblings. And better still, Uncle Harry still invited himself and Amelia to gatherings such as this, not sidelining one Prince for another.

Alexus allowed himself, for the first time in years, to place his trust in a concubine, and he could tell that Amelia had also completed her observations.

15th January 2001- Monday

James sighed as yet another couple approached him with their intentions written clearly on their faces. It was the monthly Wizengamot meeting, which meant all the Lords and Ladies of the United Kingdom were gathered within the same building. Which meant politicking galore, something James had never had the heart nor the constitution for. It was lucky that Sirius was a Lord alongside him, even if he was similarly lacking, but the man was currently in conversation with others, which left James vulnerable. And he hadn't even made it to the main hall yet.

The pair came to a stop in front of him, all saccharine smiles and small talk, easing themselves into a conversation with him that he could not deny. He met them stride for stride, trying to steer them away from the topic they so desperately seemed to want to approach, but the couple were headstrong and clearly hopeful.

"Lord Potter, I wish to congratulate you on how far your son has risen! From Noble to only the second Noble Consort in the Harem's near twenty-five-year history, my! You must be so proud of His Highness!" The unidentified Lord began, his wife nodding enthusiastically from where she was clinging tightly onto his arm.

James gave them a half smile. "Thank you, and yes, I am incredibly proud. Harry has changed our family's fortune for the better with his marriage to His Majesty."

The Lady got a greedy look in her eye at the mention of marriage, and James knew exactly what she was thinking, as he had been approached by many considering similar thoughts over the past few months.

"I had heard that His Highness entered the Harem before the birth of His sister so that she may reap the benefits of His promotions. Such selflessness! The little lady must love her brother dearly, knowing He cared for her so much even before she was born." The woman spoke, a hand to her heart as if particularly touched by the sentiment.

His smile grew even more strained, as this was a topic he would have to put down swiftly. "Quite. Florence is still very young, so she both doesn't truly understand her brother's decisions and idolises the rank he has achieved."

"Ah yes, your daughter is still practically a babe, same as our little Finnigan. Gosh, I find it hard to believe he is turning three soon!"

"Aha, yes, so is Florence." They knew that. Of course they did, they wouldn't have approached him about this topic unless their children were around the same age. And he couldn't dismiss the couple, either, as he hadn't quite worked out their identities yet.

"They'll be in the same year at Hogwarts then! That is, if you are planning on sending young Florence there?"

"We are, yes. The Potters have attended Hogwarts for centuries, I wouldn't deprive my daughter of that experience."

"Oh, how wonderful! I wonder, would you and Lady Potter be amenable to the two of them meeting? For playdates and such, to foster friendship before they begin at Hogwarts, no matter the Houses they are sorted into. That will surely be Ravenclaw for our Finnigan!"

Ah, James could place them now. The Lord and Lady of House Boot. They had a son in Harry's year, although Harry didn't have much to say concerning the lad. And it seems they had a second child, at least from the both of them. James was sure Lord Boot had a concubine or two and a few other children.

"And perhaps..." The Lord hedged, and James' shoulders tensed. "If the children are keen on one another, we could begin discussing a possible betrothal? Only if the children seem amenable to one another, of course!"

With a tight smile, James kept his words polite, but firm. "All children are amenable to each other, Lord Boot. You'd be hard-pressed to find children who would not make friends with one another in such a sheltered environment. I believe I shall discuss the matter of playdates with my Lady wife, but I will put your suggestion of a betrothal out of my mind so that we may remain amenable. Good day, Lord Boot, Lady Boot."

James let out a heavy breath as he finally managed to extract himself from the couple, hurrying towards the main hall, where he would surely be further accosted by other Lords and Ladies gunning for his daughter's hand.

Lucius stared as James Potter's entrance drew all the attention of the room, and most of those who had moments ago been discussing business with him began to discreetly drift in the man's directions, giving obviously dishonest reasonings for excusing themselves. Only his long-time allies stayed by his side, equally as put-out.

But, he supposed, it was only the way of things. James Potter was the father of the highest-ranked concubine of the Emperor, essentially the second most powerful person in the Empire. That did give a sort of sway that was hard to replicate, even with the standing and wealth the Malfoy family possessed. If he was a lesser man, perhaps he too would seek out a betrothal between their families. Alas, he had no sons of age with the Potter daughter, and Lucius had much more pressing matters to concern himself with. Mainly, his own children.

Draco had been inducted into the training course for His Majesty's Knights three and a half years ago now, and his hard work was finally beginning to pay off. Only just over a year now, and he would be graduating, becoming a Knight's Page. Hopefully, from there, he would prove the strength of the Malfoy Family and become a full-fledged Knight.

It was not his son with whom he was displeased with.

If only his daughter had as much success in her endeavours. His eldest daughter, similarly, had embarked on her path of choice over three years ago now, although she had not seen nearly as much improvement. Quite the contrary, from what Lucius had observed and heard, his daughter had failed in her task, and made quite the mess of things. Dahlia did not hold even a smidgen of the Emperor's favour, being ignored alike the masses. She had not even produced an heir that would tie their family to the Slytherins, the purpose of a concubine. It was embarrassing for the Family and infuriating.

And the second mistake she had made, was alienating herself from her previous friend, Potter-Black. Lucius did not claim to like the man, but he respected his determination and cunning to climb so swiftly to the top. And his daughter could have capitalised on that, if only her pride had not been so all-consuming and detrimental to her ambitions. Now, she remained a low-ranking Noble, whilst Potter-Black languished as Head of the Harem. He was sorely disappointed in his daughter, and ashamed to even acknowledge her as his own. Dahlia had proven herself to be a worthless investment.

It was too late now, however, to urge her to make amends with the man. Those bridges had surely burned long ago. Now, Lucius could only hope she wizened up and began presenting herself as what she was: a pureblooded, powerful witch whose children would ensure a connection with the Malfoy family for generations to come. It would be nonsensical not to capitalise on that, and the Emperor was a highly intelligentman.

Unless His Majesty had other plans, and was already devising to marry one of his sons to a grandchild of Lucius', or perhaps even to his youngest daughter, Naeva.

Yes, perhaps that is what he should be focusing on, as well as Draco's advancement within the Knights. Dahlia was a lost cause. The Potter boy, whilst he may not hold power forever, would still remain influential to an extent as a Noble Consort. And his daughter, having slighted him, would find it hard to rise in the ranks whilst he had the Emperor's ear.