When Emperor Slytherin, then Lord Thomas Slytherin, declared war against Britain, the public scoffed in contempt, assured that the ministry would put him down like they had the other Grindelwald aspirants. It took them over a hundred magical deaths and many more muggle ones before they began to treat him as a threat, but by then, it was already too late.
Dumbledore's abandonment of Britain and the group he had cultivated solely to bring down the Dark Lord was the final nail in the coffin. No longer than a week later, the Lord became an Emperor, Britain his Empire.
When he declared war against the world, four years after the beginning of the first, the people of the world feared his plausible victory but hid it behind false bravado and dishonest claims of resilience. These would not last long, however, as the nations began to crumble under his power, the Emperor claiming the countries surrounding his, the Empire seeping outwards at an alarming rate.
And when he completed his takeover of the world in 1975, the earth itself ground to a halt to bow down to him, such was the absurdity of his strength.
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July 1988
" Announcing his Imperial Majesty, The High Emperor of the Slytherin Dynasty!" Cheers rang through the city as the man draped in robes of mesmerising black and dazzling silver stepped forward into view, a firm expression on his face. The Emperor, the man whole held the utmost power in the Empire, rarely showed himself to the public, so even a glimpse of him far in the distance was worth the wait.
Tom, from his place on the balcony, observed the adoring crowd below with satisfaction, dragging his eyes slowly across it, basking in his accomplishment. It had been a long time coming, but now, after over a decade of secure ruling over the entirety of the world, Tom could finally feel content with his power.
The clicking of footsteps behind him drew him out of his pleasure, and he watched, out of the corner of his eye, as the members of his Harem slowly surrounded him, bowing deeply.
He paid them no mind, eyes flicking back to the people before him, clamouring and clambering, trying to get as close as they could to the being they saw as their god. He let out a small chuckle, lips twisting into a gleeful sneer. " Delightful, aren't they? Such simple things, muggles are, wouldn't you agree?" There was no response, but that was to be expected. What was his would never dare to speak out of turn in his presence. " I can even sense some wixen down there, but they seem to at least have the decorum not to push and shove like a bunch of animals. I would expect no less from those blessed by magic, but the people just keep on surprising me these days." He let out a sigh before turning around with an elegant twirl of his robe, facing them. " I have had enough for today. Let us retire. Evangeline, with me."
A blonde woman with elaborate hair decorations stepped forward at his beckoning, holding out her hand to Tom, who took it gently. She smiled at him, blue eyes twinkling in a way that made him shiver slightly in remembrance of an enemy he hadn't heard a peep from in nearly forty years." Yes, your majesty."
He quirked his lips, sending one last glance at the crowd, then led his entourage back inside.
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Somewhere below, in the midst of the crowd, stood a young Harry Potter, surrounded by his scowling parents and their friends, who were twittering angrily to one another, the comments directed at the Emperor. Harry listened halfheartedly as his parents echoed the insults, his focus elsewhere. He took one look at the man, standing upon his gilded balcony, draped in such lavish robes he had only ever seen on a few wizards, and wanted with deep fervour.
It was yet to be known whether he wanted what the Emperor had, or the Emperor himself.
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July 1991
Harry bowed deeply, hands shaking slightly, even though he was willing them to stop, as he greeted the Emperor softly, a far cry from his father's confident attitude. His mother didn't speak, her presence not noted by the Emperor, remaining silent but steadfast by his side. " Greetings to his Majesty, Emperor Slytherin. I thank you for inviting us."
The man shifted upon his throne, leaning forward ever so slightly. Harry twitched in fear. " Heir Potter-Black, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I have heard such lavish praises about your abilities from my daughter, as well as the news that you have been accepted into Hogwarts. I congratulate you on your achievement. May your time at the Empire's greatest school be a prosperous one."
" Thank you, Your Majesty." He felt proud that his voice didn't shake as much as it wanted to: the merciless Emperor had punished people for less than a simple trembling voice.
" Lord Potter, it seems that your blood is strong within your son. Let it be a blessing to you, who has not yet produced a Pureblood spawn, nor taken a Pureblooded Concubine." The Emperor's tone was condescending, intending to embarrass Harry's Father in front of the court gathered around them, silent observers of their torment. He thanked the stars that Lord Malfoy wasn't present, as, despite his friendship with his children, the man had never really gotten along with the Potter Family, even less after their status was practically ripped from them.
His father seemed to puff up a little at the barely hidden insult towards his wife. " I am happy with the child I have fathered, and the wife that I have taken, Your Majesty. I feel no need to add to them in the near future." He felt proud of his father for his strong tone, so unlike what he would muster under the pressure of such a beings disapproving gaze. He could only hope that his years at Hogwarts would bring him out of his shell and allow him to be the person he wished without cowering in fear.
" Impudence of the highest order, Lord Potter. You will one day see the error of your ways. How lucky it is that your son turned out to be so magically powerful, despite his mother's blood. I hope that you, Heir Potter-Black, will choose your own spouse wisely in the future if your father won't do that himself."
Harry simply nodded, his eyes still downturned. He didn't want to meet the eyes of the Emperor, having heard tales all his childhood of the horrors that befell those who did. He heard the Emperor sigh slightly and flinched, taking an involuntary step backwards. There was a pause, the air beginning to suffocate him as the seconds passed by with no response.
" I grow tired of this meeting. Leave." The Emperor commanded, staring down at the Potters with mixed contempt and fascination. Contempt for the parents who had wronged him many times before, and fascination at the little boy they had created who outshone his peers in all aspects, from magic to intelligence. He was a curiosity, but he was much too young to have any sort of insightful conversation with. Therefore, he had no further need of the Potter's presence. Besides, Tom was unsure if too much fear would make the boy release some accidental magic, and he'd dislike punishing him for a display of power.
The trio rushed out of his lavish greeting hall, the adults herding the boy along, sheltering him from the Emperor's gaze. And wasn't it a shame that the young boy had already been ensnared? He watched as the boy- and wasn't he just that, merely ten years old- snuck a glance over his shoulder, a curious little creature. Their eyes met, green clashing with red, and that was all Tom needed to dive gently into the boy's mind, merely reading his surface thoughts.
'He's really pretty. I want him, I want to be like him.' Before it was cut off as Harry snapped his head back around, flushing at being caught looking at him. Tom felt, deep down, that he was most definitely going to meet Harry once again.
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May 1997
" Harry, you can't be serious! Applying to join the Emperor's Harem? Have you gone mad? You're going to get yourself killed. Do you know how ruthless it is in there? Just listening to the stories makes me glad that I have virtually no chance of even stepping foot inside of the grand city, let alone the Emperor's personal court where those spineless bitches reside!" Hermione berated Harry as they walked through the busy hallway, attracting the attention of many.
It wasn't often that you saw a Muggle-born at the world's most prestigious school, after all. Let alone walking the hallways with their head held high, arm in arm with a Potter, still one of the Noble Families, no matter how disgraced they were.
" I'll be fine, Hermione." He sighed, eyes rolling when she stopped to glare, yanking on the sleeve of his robe to halt him.
" Oh, will you now? And how do you know that, hm?" The witch didn't budge from her spot, ignoring the malicious stares sent her way from the milling students.
Harry groaned, tugging at her sleeve slightly in an attempt to keep them moving, wincing at the angry muttering he could hear. " Okay, I don't know for certain, but Hermione-"
" What is such a good reason that you are willing to risk your life for it!" She whisper-shouted, teeth slightly gritted in frustration.
" If you had let me finish, you would already know. So, you know how my family holds not even a fraction of its former prestige?"
" Because your great-grandfather liked muggles."
" Exactly. And the fact that my father married a muggle-born didn't help win it back at all, it seems to have declined it further-" Hermione snorted, she'd heard all about the Potter's sudden decline from power before, and she had made her thoughts know about how she didn't agree with the reason why at all. " So, I had a thought. What if I join the Emperor's Harem? That would surely bring some power back to my family."
" Harry, no. Did you not listen to what I said? The Harem is-"
" The Harem is exceedingly dangerous, yes, yes, I know. But, it'd be worth it. My family... father and mother are both ridiculed in society. And with the baby on the way... I just thought that..."
" You want them to grow up without the scorn you received." Her voice was soft and understanding. " Alright, I understand. But! This does not mean that I accept it. Until the day you head off to the selection, I will be reciting everything that could go wrong in the Harem. Number one, Bellatrix Lestrange is the highest-ranking member of the Emperor's Harem, and a crazy, deranged bitch. Do you know how ruthless that woman was back when the harem came out more?"
Harry drew in a sharp breath through his teeth, yanking more insistently." Hermione! Quiet!"
" What, am I wrong?"
" Watch what you say!" He snapped at her, frowning slightly at the heads turned their way. "We're in the middle of the hallway! You could be accused of trying to start a rebellion against the monarchy if someone reports you!" Harry grabbed ahold of her arm and began to pull her towards the old Transfiguration classroom. " The Emperor is even more ruthless than Consort Bellatrix. He wouldn't give mercy to a Pureblood for such comments, let alone a Muggleborn!" He shut the door behind them, leaning against it, looking slightly flushed.
" Do you want to hear number two?"
"...yeah, go on then."
" Number two, Draco Malfoy's little sister is aiming to join the Harem. Draco Malfoy who is obsessed with you-"
" Well, I wouldn't say he's obsessed." He met Hermione's dead-eyed stare head-on.
" Oh yes, I forgot that attempted child marriage was common in Wizarding society. Didn't he say he'd make you his Consort? That's quite a high position for that bigotted prick to give you."
" He said that he'd wait until we'd graduated Hogwarts, actually. Besides, his dad rejected the proposal immediately. Apparently, I'm too 'Muggle' for his precious heir. It's not like the Emperor accepts even Muggleborns into his Harem or anything." He tittered sarcastically, and she ignored him.
" Anyway, Draco Malfoy's little sister is attempting to join, and I know for sure that she will probably get in. From what I've heard, she isn't any better than her brother- if anything, she's worse!" Hermione threw her hands out, looking slightly wild-eyed.
" Dahlia is a sweetheart, and you know it." And she was, if you were one of her friends, that is. Anything less, and she was beyond spiteful. Just the other week, she had publicly rejected a courtship proposal from a Ravenclaw boy, stating that anything less than the Emperor wasn't worth her time. She cruelly tore the letter the boy had asked her to hand to her father before his eyes, and under the watch of the entire student population, told him that he wasn't worthy of her.
" No, she isn't! I can't believe it, you've also been blinded by her, that conniving-"
" I'm riding in the Malfoy family carriage to the city with her."
"...What? Why- Harry!"
" Got to go, History starts soon!" He called back as he escaped from the room.
" You don't even take History!"
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Harry fidgeted with the sleeves of the pure white robe that had been draped over him, anxiously staring out of the window of the thestral-drawn carriage. The streets were lined with people eager to take a peep at this year's concubine candidates, which, unfortunately, he was one of.
" Harrison, stop fiddling with your sleeves. You're going to wrinkle them." The girl opposite him snapped, wrinkly her perfectly aristocratic nose. Her grey eyes stared back at him expectantly when he snapped his head up.
Harry sheepishly lowered his head, releasing the sleeves and trying his best to smooth them out. " Sorry, Dahlia."
She huffed as if he was causing all of her problems. " You need to look your best if you're trying to gain the Emperor's attention. I have a sure way in, daddy has his Majesty's favour, but you... your parents aren't exactly on his good side."
" I know." He sighed softly. "That's why I'm here." Harry turned his head to continue observing the road ahead, watching as the grand castle grew ever closer. It was much bigger than Hogwarts, more extravagant too, made of white stone that gleamed in the sunlight and decorated with marble statues, smattered with golden details. It was not, however, where the Emperor lived with his Harem. The castle was simply a show of power, situated in the City of Honour, formerly London, and acted as the base for the selection process. No one other than the Emperor, his Harem, his children and those employed in his service were allowed to enter the Emperor's court, aptly named the Court of Beauty and Passion.
Dahlia's scoff brought his attention back into the carriage. " If only you're father hadn't diluted his bloodline, then his only son wouldn't have to grovel to his majesty for even a hint of respect." She crossed her arms, leaning back on the plush purple seats with an air of superiority.
" If dad hadn't married my mum, I wouldn't exist. And what would you do without your greatest friend, hm?" He smiled sharkishly, feeling offended at the veiled insult towards his mother's ancestry.
" As if you're the greatest! Daphne and I have such intellectual conversations when you aren't around."
" Notice how you didn't mention Pansy?"
" Pansy is a well-bred pureblood-"
" And a bigoted, spineless bitch!"
"-who I can hold insightful conversations with."
" What is with you and conversations? Isn't us racing around your manor grounds with a house-elf chasing after us so much more fun?"
" I nearly died that day!"
" I told you that there was a tree up ahead. It's not my fault you have selective hearing."
" I-" The carriage came to a halt, and Dahlia straightened herself up, looking sharply at Harry to mimic her. The door was pulled open to reveal that they had stopped in front of a grand gate, looking as if it was made out of pure gold. Harry supposed that it was, knowing who had ordered its construction.
Dahlia stood gracefully, gingerly taking the hand of one of the men at the door, who bowed his head, trying not to make eye contact. She glided down the steps and onto the white path, looking back at Harry to urge him on.
He hurried after her, ignoring the disappointed stare sent his way as he clambered down the steps on his own. Coming to a halt by her side, he grinned, huffing at the eye roll he received.
The pair elegantly made their way to the gate, which was opened as the guard confirmed their identities, and they were ushered through the gates that closed behind them with a resounding bang as their last servant scampered in.
It made the whole affair feel suddenly more real to Harry. There was no going back now, not unless he was rejected by the Emperor, a scary possibility that made him shiver. He eyed his friend's back. He might never get to see her again if one passed and the other didn't.
Dahlia, who was a few steps ahead of him, drew in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. " Come along Harrison, we need to go and greet the other candidates before the selection begins. It wouldn't do to appear rude in front of our possibly soon-to-be fellow Concubines, we must greet them cordially." Harry fell into step with her and breathed in deeply, calming his nerves as best he could.
" Yeah, let's go face the competition."
