I dislike this chapter, but since I've held it off for a couple of days, I thought It would be best to post it.
Word Count- 2.8k
IMPORTANT: I've edited chapters P-4 heavily, and added some more scenes to them :) Expect this to happen to all of the other chapters before I post the next chapter in 2 weeks.
17th of August 1997- Sunday
Life in the Emperor's harem wasn't as cut-throat and oppressive as Harry had first thought it was going to be. Sure, the concubines would sometimes poison and harm you to get the favour of his Majesty, but most days, they lived in relative harmony with each other, the days passing in blissful luxury. There hadn't been an incident such as that for as long as he had been in the Court.
"Perhaps a lighter shade of blue today, Master? It's rather sunny outside, so I'll also keep the layers thin." Anya held a silken robe out in front of him, decorated with wisps of white that caught the light and shimmered slightly. He fell in love a little.
"Yes, that'd be good. It's quite hot, and I'd rather not faint today." Harry chuckled to himself, slipping it on with a little help from his maid.
"And for hair decorations, Master?"
"Silver, keep it plain, but a few blue gemstones won't cause a fuss."
"Yes, Master."
That's how his carefree morning went, lazing around until the time arrived that he had to begin making his way to the hall for the daily meeting. Harry stood, looped his arm with Anya's and grabbed a book on the way out. It was bright outside, and the perfect temperature for a stroll after he was finished with his duties, which he told his maid with a smile on his face.
Just before Harry exited his garden, the guard holding it open for him, a Eunuch looking distressed rushed up to him, and collapsed to their knees at his feet. He took a step back, raising his eyebrows at the sight. "Noble Potter-Black, this one comes bearing ter-terrible news!" The Eunuch lifted his head, eyes a bloodshot red and tear tracks marking his face. Dread shot through Harry's heart, and he grabbed a hold of the Eunuch's robes, staring into his eyes intently.
"What, what is it!?" He shook the man as he continued to blabber. "Pull yourself together and tell me! This is a matter of importance!" Was it his family? Were they hurt? Or was it the Emperor? One of the royal children? A concubine? Was he in any trouble-
"No-Noble Lafington has unfortunately mi-miscarried the child she was carrying e-earlier this morning. His-his Majesty has ordered for his concubines to stay within their palaces until-until instructed otherwise. You must go back inside at-at once, Noble Potter-Black. The morning meeting has-has been cancelled!" The man wheezed for breath, falling backwards to land on the ground when Harry let go of his robes.
Harry didn't even attempt to stifle the gasp that tore from his throat at the news. Noble Jasmine had declared yesterday that her child was brimming with life, and growing normally, smiling happily whilst she told all who would listen. To think that the child she had treasured so deeply was just gone so suddenly was...
Harry breathed deeply in through his nose, and out. In and out. He took a few moments to compose himself, to make sure that his voice didn't tremble as much as it wanted to. "May... May Magic bless my Sister and his Majesty the Emperor in this trying time. I wish them both my deepest condolences for their loss."
The Eunuch bowed, hesitating as he turned to glance back over his shoulder at Harry, before hurrying off through the gate which slammed shut behind him. The guard had a companion now, dressed in identical black robes. In the short amount of time Harry had spent with the Eunuch, the Court had already moved into lockdown. He just knew that he'd find a similar pair guarding the main doors.
Harry sighed, stripping himself of his blue robe, and headed back into the palace to inform his maids of the situation.
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Later in the evening, another Eunuch dressed in black came knocking at the door to read out the Emperor's latest ruling: "At his Majesty's decree, there is to be a week-long mourning period for his royal child that unfortunately passed in the womb. All concubines are expected to only wear mourning clothes for the duration and to not leave their Palaces in respect for the Emperor and Noble Lafington until informed otherwise. This is to be strictly enforced from five am tomorrow morning. Accept the decree."
Harry bowed, arms folded in the sleeves of his robe. "I will heed his Majesty's decree, and grieve the loss this Empire has experienced, as well as for the heartache his majesty and Noble Lafington have undergone."
"I will relay your words to the Emperor. May magic's blessings be with you, your Lordship." He left soon after, the palace plunging back into silence. His maids, all nine now since Giana had been replaced by another the day after she disappeared, moved about quietly so as to not disturb his thoughtful stillness.
It was so strange that Noble Lafington's miscarriage had come upon so suddenly and unexpectedly. Sure, it could have been a natural occurrence, but Harry's instincts were screaming at him that that was not the case.
He hadn't expected something of the sort to happen so early on, but this was clearly a deliberate miscarriage caused by another concubine.
21st of August 1997- Thursday
"His Majesty has decreed that his concubines are allowed to begin attending daily meetings once more, however they must continue to wear mourning clothes. If a concubine is discovered to be engaging in anything more, they are to be punished according to the Emperor's will."
Twenty-four figures cloaked in robes of the deepest black filed into the meeting hall, the air around them so sombre that it almost choked him with its heaviness.
Jasmine was noticeably absent, her seat draped with a black veil, a bunch of white lilies placed upon it. A tiny teddy bear, draped with a blue ribbon, sat innocently on the armrest. Harry stifled his sob in the hem of his sleeve.
"Thank you all for attending this morning, despite the tragedy that has occurred recently to one of our own." Bellatrix looked worn-down, her hair frizzier than usual without adornments to control it, and a protective hand over the swell of her stomach. "There... isn't much to be said. His Majesty has postponed all of his engagements for the near future, stating that he needs time to grieve... the children are reported to be mourning for Noble Lafington well..." She sighed, a perfectly manicured hand coming up to rub her face, eyes darting towards the singular empty seat that stood out so blatantly. "Is there any news to be shared that any of you wish to speak about?"
The room was quiet. Bellatrix sighed deeper, sinking into the plush cushions of her chaise. They all sat in silence for a while, Bellatrix's huffing getting consistently louder. "Alright, you all may leave. There is no point in continuing when it is not an appropriate time for small talk. I declare this meeting concluded."
"Thank you for having us, may the Primary Consort's power flourish, and her health never diminish."
They exited as they had entered, a mass of black robes, and in silence.
On his way back to his palace, Harry passed by the Palace of Noble Beauty, and hanging from its battlements were flags of Black and green, the faint outline of the dark mark visible on each.
The symbol of death, and now of mourning.
25th of August 1997- Monday
The remaining meetings continued with an identical sombre manner, ending quickly with little conversation, starting the next day with the same information, repeating until the week was over.
Harry had expected there to still be an overtly melancholic tone to the meetings for at least another week, however, some of the other concubines just had to be unpredictable.
"His Majesty went to visit the Hogwarts-aged children again today, to discuss with them about his expectations again, as well as spend time talking to them about their concerns. Surely, my Flora and Hestia would never disappoint their father, there's no question." Concubine Alecto bragged, smoothing down her green robe with a satisfied smile on her lips.
"Of course, Sister, they've had your sole attention for twelve years." Concubine Felix, a Rosier, commented with a sly smile.
Alecto looked a little miffed at that. It was a sore subject for the Carrow family, that their sole close connection to the Emperor had become barren after birthing her twins. Twin girls. She could never become the Empress or really rise above the rank of Consort, not without having personally given the Emperor a possible heir. "Yes, I've been teaching them well."
Most of the concubines were watching these two converse uncomfortably, sitting in silence and waiting on Bellatrix to call the meeting to an end. However, she would not do so unless nobody had anything else left to say.
Harry observed the conversations, noting those who had dressed more brightly, and those who chose more muted tones like himself. It was telling.
It was known throughout the Court, but not spoken of, that the miscarriage was not a natural occurrence, and that someone was the cause of it. Harry no longer felt as content to laze about as he had merely a week before.
He could hear Hermione's warning words ringing in his ears once more: 'Have you gone mad? You're going to get yourself killed. Do you know how ruthless it is in there?'
The Emperor's harem truly was a rotten place.
Harry eyed Noble Cordelia suspiciously, watching the way she flipped through her book without a care in the world. After all, hadn't she been the one to foreshadow Jasmine's miscarriage?
30th August 1997- Saturday
Over the coming days, the Court slowly regained its previous functionality, and the Emperor began to reschedule the appointments he had cancelled. Although it left him with a few days of no commitments, so he had summoned a few of the other concubines to spend time with him, most notably the ones who were pregnant, to check that they weren't experiencing any difficulties.
So, it came as a shock for Harry when the Emperor called on him one day to play wizarding chess. Harry was, honestly, bad at the game, something which clearly showed when again and again, the Emperor beat him easily.
"Noble Potter-Black, I seem to have discovered something that you don't excel at." The man's voice was gruff and less warm than usual, his eyes boring into Harry's own with a hardness that he hadn't seen since before he joined the Harem. Ever since his birthday dinner, Harry felt as if the Emperor had grown a sort of soft spot for him, but that apparently meant nothing whilst the man was grieving.
"I've never felt the need to be good at playing chess, I've always preferred gobstones or exploding snap. Apologies if I have disappointed you, your Majesty."
The man snorted, pushing a piece into place. "Checkmate." They watched as the piece destroyed the other, cheering whilst doing so. "Still, your strategies are rather sound. I believe if you were playing against someone else, you may have a chance of winning."
"You flatter me, your Majesty, but I know that I am not very good. You, however, are perhaps one of the best people I've ever played."
"Accept the compliment whilst I am still in a good mood, Noble Potter-Black, I am unfortunately rather prone to lashing out at simple things these days. And, one of the best?"
"My apolo-"
"I don't need an apology, just accept the compliment. One of the best?"
"... Thank you for the compliment, your Majesty. And... yes, one of the best."
The man huffed at his non-answer, nodded, and waved his hand to fix the broken pieces and set up the chess board once again. "I am sorry for snapping at you, Bella says that my moods are horrendous recently, It's just, I hate it when my children are brought into the squabbles of my concubines, even the unborn ones. It's disgusting that they are used in such a way, but there's not much more I can do about it but punish the ones responsible." He slid a piece on the board, a complicated expression on his face.
Harry felt uncomfortable in the face of such a sudden confession and hesitantly looked at the Emperor, whose eyes were fixed on the board. "And... have the ones responsible been punished, your Majesty?"
"The ones that I found, yes. I crucioed the maid who was responsible for poisoning the tea into insanity and buried the Eunuch who helped her alive. The trail went dead after that, and even using legillimancy I can't find who ordered it." The Emperor gritted his teeth, lifting his head to look at Harry once more. "That is all you are permitted to know, Noble Potter-Black. Don't ask anything more."
"Thank you for informing me, your Majesty."
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He parted ways with the Emperor hours later, having not won a singular game. His new maid met him as he exited the Emperor's palace, a young woman named Lien that had gained his favour quickly. She was intelligent and hardworking, not spending time gossiping as even his personal maids did on occasion. She fulfilled his every request beyond his expectations, and would even take the time to ask his opinion on matters that no other did. All in all, he'd call Lien a friend more than he'd call her his maid.
"Master, what do you wish to do now?"
"It's probably best that we head back, It's getting quite close to lunchtime now." Lien nodded her head and looped their arms together.
"Of course, what should I ask Maia to prepare today?"
"Hmm, how about-"
"Noble Potter-Black" A voice from behind him barked. Harry turned his head to peer back, his body following when he recognised the woman standing there. He opened his mouth to greet her. "Come to tea with me." Harry was startled at her sudden command but nodded his head despite Lien tugging on his arm.
"Of course, Noble Rosenburg."
Harry obediently followed the woman who was headed for the Palace of Noble Beauty, receiving glances from the guards who were on duty as they watched him trudge along. He wasn't prepared to be confronted with Cordelia this soon after coming to the conclusion that she was the one behind Jasmine's miscarriage, but he had no excuse to deny her.
They sat at a beautifully prepared table in her garden, one of the corner complexes, maids rushing about to serve them both tea. Lavender and Rose. He took a sip and bit down his disgust at the overly fragrant taste.
She cleared her throat, drawing Harry's attention. "I am Cordelia Rosenburg, you know, as in the third princess of the Rosenburg royal family, and his Majesty's Primary Noble. I'm the first witch of my line, which is of course no surprise, my parents said that they knew I'd be special from the moment they discovered they'd conceived me. Granted, they hadn't thought that I'd be a witch, or eventually become the Emperor's wife, but I always like to outdo expectations. I've heard that your family was once quite a high-ranking one but lost his majesty's favour. Why did his majesty call on you, anyway, when your family is disapproved of by him?" Cordelia tilted her head in mocking sympathy, her eyes glittering.
He took a moment to absorb her bragging, biting into a slice of cake. "His majesty simply wished to play some games of wizarding chess with me, despite his view on my family."
"Wizarding chess? That's it? His Majesty, the esteemed Emperor, called upon a mere Mid-Noble to play chess with him?" She scoffed contemptfully, straightening up to send him a glare of disgust. "Unbelievable, how dare you lie to me like that!"
Harry felt overwhelmed at her accusation, but to keep their relationship cordial, responded as calmly as possible. "I assure you, Noble Rosenburg, his majesty and me did nothing but play chess and talk."
Instead of the mollified expression, Harry had been expecting, her face contorted. "I don't like your tone." She snapped, nose up in the air. Harry flinched back slightly, eyes widening at the sudden change of atmosphere. He hadn't done anything wrong, though? "You shouldn't speak so rudely to someone of a higher status than you. Julia, slap him three times for his impudence." The mentioned maid stepped forward and raised her hand. It caused him to jolt back even further, unsure whether to retaliate or not. Eyes switching between the pink face of the other Noble and the raised hand of the maid, Harry gathered his magic into his palm.
Luckily, he didn't have to do anything with the magic and allowed it to fizzle out at the kind tone of his rescuer.
"Sister Cordelia, surely your reaction is a bit much, Noble Potter has yet to do anything wrong."
