A/N: I know it has been forever since I updated. You can thank the snow for getting this chapter. Its amazing how much time I have to write when I don't have to go to work!

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Chapter 25

Dorian sat stiffly in his armchair, next to Voldemort. His closest advisors, Remus, Severus and Lucius sat across from the two leaders. "Explain again how this came to pass," he said icily.

Remus patiently launched into the explanation again. "You must understand, Prince, that we can be certain of nothing. This was…unprecedented. As best we can tell though, this summer strained you far beyond what was readily apparent when you arrived here. Severus and I believed that you simply needed a firm hand and a few weeks of constant attention to right your inner balances properly."

Dorian's eyebrow twitched at the "firm hand" comment but he held his tongue. After all, everyone in the room was well aware of the true nature of his relationship with Severus. It still irritated him to the point of cursing the hapless werewolf for his inopportune slip. "Continue," he ground out.

"I believe that the strain rushed on your mating instincts. The urge to mate did not affect your father until he was nearly nineteen. I can only assume that it affected you so much sooner because of the circumstances surrounding your summers. The extended periods of starvation cannot have been good for you," he said gently.

"Snape came to the muggle's residence at least once a month for feedings," Dorian said, standing up and pacing for a moment in front of the fire.

"And we both know that your father recommended feeding at least once a week," Remus reminded him, wary of a reprisal for his words.

The Prince's wand was in his hand before Remus had even stopped speaking.

"Give me your wand," Severus ordered, standing quickly.

Dorian narrowed his eyes at him, clearly irritated by the interruption. "Know your place," he hissed in fury. He'd be damned if he allowed Severus to order him around outside the bedroom, particularly when he was sitting in a meeting as the Prince, and not as his Master's pet.

Severus glared right back. "Hexing the werewolf will not fix this situation."

"It will make me feel a hell of a lot better."

"No it won't, pet," Severus said, ignoring the glare that earned him. "You'll end up feeling guilty for cursing your godfather when the one you want to curse is me. I was the one who decided that feeding once a month in the summer was sufficient."

Dorian growled lightly but set his wand on the mantel. Damned man was right. Worse though, he had known that the once-monthly feedings were insufficient, but he had kept his mouth closed in an effort to impress his Master. He paced his anger away for a moment before regaining his equilibrium. "Not feeding often enough pushed me into this mating season?" he asked, his voice still tinged with irritation.

"We believe so," Remus said. "Lord Voldemort sent away the soldiers to keep them from learning everything. Only the Elite know. And Draco Malfoy. We assumed that he should know the truth, since you have accepted him to train the new recruits."

A sharp nod was the only reward for Remus' answer. "And the result?"

Silence greeted his question.

Dorian's hand reached for his wand again before he halted it. He took a deep, steadying breath. "Am I pregnant?"

"Yes," Severus said quietly.

A quick glare at the doors blew them open with a bang, tearing them nearly off their hinges. The furious incubus stormed through them, leaving his wand and the urge to curse the three men behind him. "Voldemort!" he called from the other end of the hall, his fury unabated.

Lord Voldemort sighed. "I believe my ally and I need to regroup. This pregnancy will change our strategies significantly. Remain here. Should we need you, I will send someone to fetch you."

He walked smoothly out of the room and down the hall to join Dorian. This news did change everything and frankly, he had no idea what they were going to do. He was not surprised at all that Dorian, now returned to his right mind, was absolutely furious about the ill timed pregnancy. The Elite were taking a well rested break, but once they recovered from their previous work, they would begin immediately with trying to find a solution to the problem.

"That went better than I expected," Lucius said quietly.

"Much," Remus agreed. "Thanks, by the way, for stepping in," he said to Severus.

Severus shrugged. "You know I can't do that again. It only worked because it was just us. If even one other person was present you can be assured that he would have cursed both of us into the infirmary."

Remus nodded. "I had hoped that he would greet the news of his pregnancy with happiness."

"It cannot possibly come at a worse time," Lucius said, exasperated by the werewolf's comment. "The soldiers have accepted the Prince as their leader but they have not yet settled down yet. There have been a multitude of changes over the last six weeks and adding this on top of them all…I fear that an uprising may occur. I wish I could say that none of our soldiers is foolish enough to try to rebel, but frankly, I am not certain. Too many of them are completely untried in battle, and too many of them have not had the opportunity to see their new leader in battle. And now with this pregnancy, they may not be able to witness a proper battle for another nine months."

"Twelve," Severus said hoarsely. "Incubi carry their children for twelve months.

"I wish it could be different," Remus said sadly. "I just remember how happy Sirius was when Lily conceived. It changed him completely. I had hoped that Dorian could experience that."

"For Merlin's sake, wolf!" Severus snapped. "Its not like the boy can't have more babies. After the war he can have a whole litter of children if that is what he wants. How the hell can a pregnant war lord lead an army?"

Remus sighed. "I know. We'll think of something."

Ginevra stuck her head in the still open doorway. "Meeting over?"

"On hold," Severus said, sinking into his pet's armchair.

"Did it go that well?" she said sarcastically.

"I'm sure you can imagine."

"At least the madness has left him," she said, sitting next to Remus. "I assume he is discussing strategy with our Lord?"

Remus nodded. "They said they would call us when it was time."

"I can't wait for the baby!" she said, smiling. "I hope he has your eyes, Severus. I'm sure he will be perfect!"

"Don't say as much to Dorian. He needs more time to accept this," Severus warned. Internally he was thinking the same thing. As incredibly bad as the timing was, as unwanted as Dorian claimed the child to be, Severus couldn't help but feel a thrill as he thought about his unborn child.

"I know," she agreed. "It will be so much fun seeing a little incubus grow up!"

"I wish Sirius was here," Remus murmured. "We need more information on how to raise an incubus child. All we know is that whatever the muggles did nearly killed him. Do you know much about what the muggles did to Dorian, Severus?" he asked.

"Nothing," Severus said coldly. "They did nothing to him. They did not beat him or harm him or even touch him. Ever."

"I don't understand," Remus said slowly. He had never known any details about his godson's life with the muggles. Dorian didn't want to talk about it and he had never felt that he could force a confidence.

"I believe I made myself clear enough," Severus said. "They ignored him completely. They never spoke to him expect to berate him. They never touched him, even in punishment. The boy was so touch starved when I got him that it was a miracle he was even functioning. Such a life would be difficult on any child, but on an incubus, who needs human touch so desperately…"

Ginevra sighed. "Bastard muggles. Where the hell are they, anyway? I thought we were going to get to play with them."

"They are in the dungeons," Lucius said. "I can take you to them later. I am afraid they are a bit worse for the wear. Quite alive though."

"Good."

"I trust that this will never be mentioned again?" Severus said to Lucius.

"I would never betray my Prince's trust," Lucius vowed. "I had, of course, known that his life with the muggles was unpleasant. My son reported to me that he had been housed in a cupboard under the stairs when he was a child. I had not known that their particular cruelty would be quite so…vicious. I will speak of this to no one."

Severus nodded, and the small group settled in to wait for the Prince and Voldemort to call them back.

BlackPrinceBlackPrinceBlackPrinceBlackPrince

Dorian sat on a chair beside the fireplace, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "What are we going to do?" he whispered to Voldemort.

"I don't know," Tom answered. "What do your instincts tell you to do?"

Dorian snapped up straight, his eyes blazing. "I don't know. That's the problem, damn it! The human half of me is bloody furious. What the fuck was Severus thinking getting me pregnant?"

"You do know that he had no choice, don't you?" Tom asked. "You were completely uncontrollable. Not even I could have stopped you."

Dorian shrugged uncomfortably. "The other half of me—the incubus half—is…is happy, I guess. I can't really recognize it. It's a bloody effort to stop purring."

Voldemort snorted at the thought.

"This is getting us nowhere. What are we going to do?"

"I am afraid that your shop idea, at least in the long term, is not impossible. If anyone catches sight of a visibly pregnant wizard they will know instantly that you are not entirely human. And we have seen how Dumbledore's forces react to non-humans."

Dorian nodded slowly. "I could still set up the shop. Go there for the first five or six months with the help of a glamour. After that, I don't think any glamour will be able to hide my pregnancy."

"And your excuse for leaving?"

"We'll think of that when the time comes."

Voldemort sighed, turning the plan over in his mind. "You may be right. Loathe though I am to send you away at a time like this, we have already set too many wheels in motion to prevent this store from opening. If we do, there will be too many questions."

"And it is still our best means to get at the students. Dumbledore is brainwashing them. They must be educated. They need to understand what their choices are, and they need the opportunity to come to our side of their own volition. Short of sending me into the school itself, I don't see how else we can do this."

"Severus will pitch a bloody fit if we even suggest that you return to Hogwarts," Voldemort said with a smile. He vividly remembered the last fight the two had when they had first started discussing the possibility of Dorian returning to Hogwarts under cover.

"He's already having kittens over the thought of me moving to Hogsmeade for this store," Dorian said, a smile tugging at his lips. "Merlin, what a mess."

"Although this is not the best timing, there are certain benefits to this pregnancy," Voldemort said, sitting down next to Dorian. Dorian cocked an eyebrow in question, and Voldemort continued. "I made you my heir and my equal, not only because you deserved the position but because you are the closest I will ever come to creating an heir. We both know that I will never be able to give a woman a child."

Dorian nodded his understanding.

"Your heir will be different though. A child of two magical parents, with extraordinary powers? He will be incredible, and will be a proper, pure blood heir for the Dark forces. It will set minds at ease, knowing that the succession is already protected."

Dorian smiled and rested a hand over his flat stomach. "Our heir will be strong," he reassured the man that he had come to see as part-father, part-brother.

"Yes, he will be. And with the most powerful witches and wizards in the world rearing him, he will be a brilliant leader as well."

Dorian finally met Tom's eyes with a smile. "Shall we call the others in?"