The longest night of the year was starting in four hours. As High Priest, Hadrian was meant to be bathing in preparation for fourteen hours of fasting, praying, chanting and rituals before the feast starting at sunrise. Instead, he was puking his guts up into the waste pot with his handmaidens rubbing his back as his body guards stood back and watched. A frequent occurrence as his body and magic adjusting to new life growing within him. He finally sat up and took a sip of the slightly salted watered down cactus juice, to take away the foul aftertaste of his morning sickness. Hadrian knew the entire tribe gossiped about his bouts of vomiting and these were taken as a good omen for the coming year.
Now he could wash and mentally go through his programme for his first festival, one that had dignitaries from all over the globe attending, for two reasons, he was a newly appointed priest but also a pregnant omega. The blessings on the tribe and all attending was guaranteed. His magic was a force felt by all in the community since his inheritance. There had been no occurrences of illness or disease in the last month. The weather had been the perfect mix of dry and rain. The spring promised to be uncommonly long and fertile as a result. All hunting parties had returned with enough bounty and all were well fed on the wonderful game. As Blessed Moonset washed his hair, he murmured the ritual chant for continued good fortune, full stomachs and the balance of wind, rain, sun and snow.
"You must save your prayers for tonight, blessed of the goddess. Relax and take deep breaths. Tomorrow your fast and week of abstinence will be over. Your handsome and strong husband will fill you with his seed and his magic. The strain of bearing will be lessened with a full belly and the pleasures of the marriage bed."
"How can you speak of such things Moonset? It is four months until your wedding. You are Still an innocent flower. I will miss you so much when you leave."
The seventeen year old girl hugged her friend. "I will also miss you also. You are like a brother to me. The goddess blessed us all when you came to live here. In six months you became of our people. I only wish you could have lived here always. Anyway, It is not far to visit me in Mexico and I will return often to see my mother, sister and you, my blood brother. My new home at the temple of chaos and rebirth will always welcome you."
Regulus sat with his Aunt Cassiopeia as the feast finished. All attending were full and sated. Hadrian had sat throughout with the High Priestess, conversing with the large gathering of Religious Dignitaries from Nepal, India, Greece, Italy and Kyoto.
Hadrian looked tired but had eaten his full, as the finest cuts of meat were saved for the omega with the choice of very rare fillet, braised spicy blood sausages and thin slices of raw fish dressed on salt and lime.
The guest warder had sat to the keft and had been served braised meat kebabs, chilli relish and corn tortillas. He watched as the Tribe's mother smiled and ordered her young protege to go attend his spouse as both should withdraw to rest.
The young priest bowed to the Black Matriarch at her table. "Blessings to you, Aunt Cassiopeia. I hope you have enjoyed the festivities."
"It has been marvellous to get an invitation to this temple. I have only visited once before, when Regulus studied here. The fast and feast had made me feel fifteen years younger. I thought this was my last winter, but now I feel rejuvenated. I will leave you and Regulus to catch up, I need to pay my respects to your High Priestess."
Regulus bowed to his husband, his eyes noted the slight changes to his beloved physiology in the two weeks they had been apart, his pregnancy was progressing at a fast pace, changing the slim frame and softening the hard masculine physique. "You look shattered, love. Let us retire and rest." He could not wait to touch his bonded mate. Even sleeping
"I think I need a long drink of the cordial my handmaidens prepare and some gentle exercise to help my digestion before I sleep. Come I will show you to my new suite of rooms. I now live in the inner court of the scared complex. Six rooms for myself and my attendants, four public and two private. It is communal living, like dorms at school. You will have to get used to only thin fabric partitions between our marital bed and my handmaidens quarters. Moonset grinds her teeth and Coyote Laugh moans about that constantly. My family here is your family now. Don't worry both girls are already betrothed. This is their last winter here. Did not Narcissa wish to attend the ceremonies this week?"
"Our cousin has a new lover. She has stated she will only marry again if blessed with another child and I expect in the new year will see her married to Director Bartholomew. The career politician who caught her eye at our party has been showering her with gifts and she enjoys the attention. Lucius always treated her with no respect. ". Regulus had always thought Andromeda would have made a better match with the blond pompous peacock, but she had divined her own match and her talented daughter proved her choice had been a sound one. The Malfoy's had insisted on a Black bride, and ignored the incompatibility of the only available daughter of house Black. If only Lucius' father had employed a matchmaker or cared that his son deserved a wife who was his match in all things. Narcissi had loved Lucius, but love was not enough to create a strong marriage or ensure your own happiness. Her inner strength had shown through when she had left, after realising their was no longer any reason to stay.
….
Bill Weasley sighed deeply as he arrived back in London. Called back for a very confidential private commission for a Master Curse Breaker/Ward Breaker. The eldest son of Arthur Weasley had worked for the Goblins since graduating Hogwarts. He was loyal to his employers and enjoyed working to increase the Gringott's profit in Egypt. Years spent clearing ancient vaults and tombs to salvage magical items and gold long out of circulation and with no descendants of the owners of close enough blood ties to claim the loot. He had a suspicion why he had been summoned home. Rumours were rife that the Malfoys through fair means or could would claim the newly emerged Daemon-Omega. Taking such a job would mean he could never work in Africa again, where Daemon born were revered as Servants of Immortals on Earth. To attack or enslave one was seen as an affront to all that was decent.
Obscenely large amounts of money had been promised to anyone who could break the wards on the home of Regulus Black in New Orleans; for the purpose of kidnapping his husband. Enough money for Bill to pay off generations of family debts and to be able to bonding claim the title of Lord Prewitt, an honour denied all Weasley's by the fact his grandfather had been financially ruined by Comte Heracles Malfoy. Now, Lucius Malfoy's gold would allow Bill to take his mother's family name, her father's estate and vaults and the Wizangamot voting rights.
As he read through the contract of employment he knew he would either succeed or die. The truth was all wards, either based on blood, arithmancy or runes, had inherent flaws. In America, it was a federal crime to break wards legally placed on property of a living owner/occupier and registered with their Ministry, even death-wards fuelled by dark magic were allowed. He would be an accessory to kidnap and if the Omega died, murder. Then again, little things like legalities meant nothing to a man like Malfoy or to Goblins.
His oaths to Gringott's meant he could not betray any details of business. He could walk away now, refuse this work and go back to Egypt, but this was an opportunity to fulfil the word of the Contract, get his money and also stab Lucius Malfoy in the back. All he had to do is break the wards, nothing else and with that was his opening. Revenge was a dish best served cold and with careful planning and adherence to the letter of the extremely carefully worded brief meant Bill would see Lucius ruined, possibly in prison, completely disgraced and with his wealth ceased by the American Ministry or by the Proxy of House Black, the crafty and wily lawyer, Andromeda Tonks.
Tonight, he would rest in the Worker's Quarters in the bank and pray to Hecate for guidance, courage and luck.
….
Draco had no plans to return to London for the mid-Winter Festivities. In fact his father had written briefly to state their was no ball at the Manor this December, that he was embroiled in important business. The young blond was happy to continue his holiday. He was enjoying the life of an idle, rich and spoiled aristocrat on a Grand Tour. India was fascinating as most of the wizarding families here were falling over themselves to entertain the Scion of House Malfoy. The families here had magical roots hundreds of years old within Warded Palaces. Such was just what he needed before his marriage to the clingy and annoying Astoria Greengrass.
He lay back in the warm pool and worried. Blaise had written to break the news his mother had returned to her family, seeking shelter with Regent Black and dissolving her marriage as her contract, which had been voided by her husband's neglect. Now, his father was moving heaven and earth to secure the control of an Omega. Draco could not believe that the dirty pauper Potter was Daemon born. If his father had a second son, one who was stronger and more magically gifted than his only child of his first marriage, that son would be Scion and Draco would be disowned, destitute and a complete nobody. He would return home secretly and persuade Astoria to elope with him, soon. The marriage would ensure he would have a rich wife. He could always take her family name, if necessary.