Chapter 38

"What?" Rachel asked in utter disbelief while Sirius started laughing.

Tom turned in his seat to stare at Harry. This was an utterly brilliant plan, a simple way to raise their numbers. It was positively clever. Let the muggles raise magical offspring and by the time the offspring were old enough they could join Magica and build a magical life there. Much like a cuckoo laying its egg in another bird's nest.

Absolutely brilliant.

And yet…and yet…this didn't sit well with Tom.

"There are a number of ethical concerns to take into account," Masaru said delicately, giving Harry a searching look.

"As long as you match the description of the donor the muggle parents selected with whatever magical seed you replace it with, it shouldn't be too much of an ethical problem," Leon said, looking rather amused by the whole thing.

"I'd do it," Sirius said, still laughing. "I think it's hilarious."

Tom still wasn't sure what was keeping him from agreeing with Harry's plan. It had only been hours since he'd had almost all of his soul returned to him. The one remaining piece was currently sitting on Harry's shoulder, clearly enjoying the sudden chaos in the room.

Tom hadn't been lying when he told Harry that he was still the same man. He was without question. He was the same man who had initially split his own soul and then committed any number of crimes. Yet Tom felt as though the whole world had been tilted off its axle but Tom hadn't noticed until Harry had pushed it the right way up again this afternoon. Suddenly everything made a lot more sense, as though all of Tom's sensory receptors were turned back on to full force.

"But we would leave the kids with the muggle parents, right?" Rachel insisted, giving Harry a desperate look. "Because I am not comfortable with this at all."

Harry made to say something, but Tom beat him to it. "Neither am I."

Clearly shocked, Harry turned to look at Tom with wide eyes. "I thought you'd agree with my plan."

"As did I," Tom said with a rueful smile before addressing the whole table. "I do not mind the idea of donating sperm to raise the magical population. However, I was born of deception and I know first hand what an utterly vile thing that is to discover about yourself."

"Oh," Harry said a very small voice, obviously only hearing this for the first time now.

Tom ignored him. "The last thing we need is for there to be resentment amongst these magical children for the donors who wilfully deceived their muggle parents. Imagine in 20 years a small army of pissed off wizards and witches coming to extract vengeance on their muggle parents' behalf."

"That problem would be easily solved by just donating sperm as sperm donors," Sebastian pointed out. "Without replacing anyone else's sperm."

"Exactly," Tom said, now offering Harry a reassuring smile. "We'd still raise the magical population, but there would be no deception. I'd rest easier if we did it that way."

"We would still need laws," Regulus pointed out with a frown on his face. "Imagine in 20 years 10 of your offspring showing up all demanding a cut of your family's fortune."

"Fair enough," Harry said, leaning back in his seat. "We need to start building our national government anyway. We've got a constitution, but we'll need more laws implemented."

"We can simply say that only children that have been recognized and registered by the parent or parents can inherit from them," Sebastian suggested.

"Sure," Rachel said quickly. "But if you're going to purposefully make magical babies it might be nice to offer them something, even just as a token."

"They already get free housing when they move here," Leon said and then shrugged. "But we could create a law about the donor parents giving the child a small amount of gold should the child seek them out."

"I'm certain many children would prefer not to know," Remus added. "But for those who do, it would be polite to offer them something, certainly."

"So we're not kidnapping babies, right?" Rachel insisted, something of a panicked look on her face. "Because I'm not okay with that at all."

"The children will grow up with their muggle parents just like any other muggleborn," Tom quickly explained, a plan forming in his head the more he thought about the situation. "What we'll do is keep a close eye on whenever a magical donation is used, make sure the kids are healthy and happy and then around their tenth birthday, or ten and a half, we'll contact them before Hogwarts does and offer them a place at our magical school."

"Which we still need to build, obviously," Sebastian said with a chuckle.

"Sure, but we're not in a hurry to get the school done," Tom replied and then he looked around the table. More and more people nodded in agreement until everyone seemed to be on the same page.

"Well then, that's settled," Harry said with a huge grin. "We'll ask for magical volunteers to become sperm donors around the world. I'll be the first to sign up."

Tom considered that for a moment. He had no desire to be a parent himself, but it might be nice to have more people of Slytherin's bloodline around. More witches and wizards who spoke parseltongue, for one. Yes, Tom realized he wouldn't mind that at all. "I'll donate, too."

"Three!" Sirius said while he raised his hand and waved. "My family's blood is all but extinct these days, not to mention woefully inbred. Making babies with muggles would revitalize our entire family line."

"Hm," Regulus said while giving his brother a curious look. "That's not a bad point, actually. I'll donate as well."

"Me, too," Sebastian said with a positively feral grin. "I absolutely love the idea of there being a whole bunch of half-blood Parkinsons walking around before long. It would drive my fanatical family completely mad if they knew."

"I have no desire to donate my sperm, but I know several squibs who might be," Leon said, glancing around the table.

"That's great," Harry said quickly. "Squibs still have magic and I'm certain that down the line they can produce magical children just fine."

"Yes," Tom agreed. "And the more diversity in donations, the better. We're already a very small, rather inbred community."

Masaru was the last to raise his hand. "I have no desire to parents anyone myself, but I cannot help but enjoy the idea of my bloodline not being lost. I'll donate as well."

"Excellent," Sabrina said with a bright smile as she glanced around the table. "We'll need someone to organize it. A fertility officer."

Tom briefly raised a hand. "I can do that for now, since my official title is International Ambassador, but there's not yet been any demand for that."

Sabrina gave him a calculating look. "That will work. But you should start on composing some statements soon for when we're discovered."

Shifting in his seat, Harry gave Sabrina a look full of concern. "How soon?"

"Quite soon," Sabrina said with a small shrug, as though she wasn't worried in the slightest. "So many people are joining the island, Harry, that it's inevitable that the news of Magica reaches certain official ears before long."

"Duly noted." Harry glanced at Tom and they both shared a knowing look. They really needed to get the official parts of the country set up if discovery was imminent. "So that's settled," Harry said with an accomplished smile. "I'm going to focus on getting our national government up and running. Sirius, as mayor, I need you to take over my duty of welcoming the new residents. We'll also both need to hire more staff to man the buildings."

"Sure thing," Sirius said, sitting up a little. "Now for a much more important announcement. I'm organizing the first Annual Broom Race!"

This was met with many sounds of approval around the table and they quickly set a date and discussed a few of the finer details.

As a final point they set a date for a new town meeting at Town Hall and then they called the meeting closed. A few of them walked across the square to have a pint at the pub to socialize. Tom wanted to join them since he well understood the importance of networking, but in truth he was exhausted.

"You go," Tom whispered when Harry quirked an eyebrow at him and gestured at Sirius, Remus and Rachel disappearing inside the Irish Cock. "I'm too tired."

"Nah, I'm good. I'd much rather stay with you, if you don't mind." Harry fell into step with him as they walked towards the residential neighbourhood. As per an unspoken agreement they kept walking instead of flying back home. Tom didn't mind at all. The cold January air did wonders for his clouded mind and he felt rejuvenated more and more with every step they took.

"Want to talk about it?" Harry asked just as they left Spellbridge behind and entered the open meadows while they walked across the cobbled pathway. In the distance they saw the black outlines of several Highland coos in the darkness around them.

"Not much to say," Tom said. There was no need to guess what Harry meant exactly. "My mother was desperate to get out of an abusive home and so she doused my muggle father with a love potion. Eventually she stopped and when my father came back to his senses he left her while she was pregnant with me. She died in childbirth and I grew up in a muggle orphanage."

"Wow," Harry said, a heavy frown on his face. "That is a crappy situation. I'd imagine you'd want to be angry with you mother, but you can't really blame her for wanting out, and you'd want to be angry with your father but you can sort of understand his actions as well."

"I killed him," Tom said, because now that they were talking about this he was going to come clean entirely. To then hopefully never speak of it again. "My father and my grandparents."

Harry blinked in surprise but he kept walking. "For any reason in particular or just because you were angry and that rage needed to go somewhere?"

Chuckling, Tom shook his head. "Something like that. I went to see them and they called me every name in the book. Bastard, parasite, and that I ruined my father's life, that sort of thing."

"Hm." Harry nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I'd probably have lashed out as well in your shoes. When I was a kid I killed my fair share of people who had hurt me, so you won't get any judgement from me."

"I appreciate that," Tom whispered.

"And I appreciate you telling me," Harry said while he grabbed Tom's hand and held on. It was a decidedly strange thing to do, walking with someone while holding their hand. Strange, but also kind of pleasant.

"We'll need to start working on our defences more," Harry said after they'd walked in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the dark, cold air around them.

"We can both add stronger wards to the whole island," Tom offered.

"Sure. And I want to lay more inferi traps, like the couple I already made," Harry added.

Tom slowed their pace a little while he squeezed Harry's hand. "If you need inferi, I know where to get some. A lot of them, actually."

Harry perked up and gave Tom a bright grin. "Do tell."

"I don't think I will." Tom's returning grin was full of mischief. "I think I'll let that be a surprise. How about we go on a little excursion the day after tomorrow?"

"It's a date," Harry said quickly, all but bouncing on his feet at the idea of getting his hands on more inferi. Harry truly was one of a kind, Tom decided as they resumed their walk. So full of dark magic, so comfortable with death, yet also so obviously full of life and happiness. Harry was the perfect magical paradox and Tom loved everything about him.

Wait…

Had that thought just been real? Had Tom actually just thought that he loved Harry?

They had all but moved in together at this point, and they were running an entire country together for all intents and purposes, but love… that was something new entirely.

Tom honestly wasn't sure if he'd ever loved anyone like this before. In a romantic kind of way. Once upon a time Tom had genuinely cared about his friends, and he'd certainly loved places like Hogwarts. But to love another person in a way that meant you wanted to share everything with them including the rest of your life?

Yes, that was very, very new. But not unwelcome, Tom decided. It just took some getting used to.

Harry's castle appeared on the horizon after a while and Tom felt a flush of warm happiness in his chest. That was his home now, too. Their home. And fucking hell, getting his soul back truly did make him a sappy little bitch, didn't it?

000000000

Harry woke the next morning without any godfathers or assistants appearing in his bedroom so he counted that as a win. Tom was still sound asleep, his face utterly relaxed as it was burrowed against his pillow.

Without making a sound, Harry snuck out of bed and opened his main wardrobe. There, beside his own simple clothing hung an assortment of fancy robes. Dobby really had moved Tom's things here. At least all of his clothing, by the looks of it. A heady rush of something washed over Harry. This was quite new and exciting. Harry had never lived with someone else. He and Mal had a lifelong friends with benefits relationship and they'd raised four children together, but they'd never actually permanently shared an abode.

And now Tom had moved in and Harry was beside himself with joy.

"It's real," Tom said, his voice raspy but with obvious humour in it. "I really moved in. Can hardly believe it myself."

Grinning, Harry all but jumped back onto the back. "Good morning to you!"

"Good morning to you, too, my dear." Tom stretched out against the mattrass, the blankets falling away and revealing his naked, hard chest. "I don't think we've got time for this," Tom said when he noticed Harry's heated look. When Harry released a disappointed moan, Tom added, "The anticipation will make me fucking you tonight all the better."

"Fair point." Harry crawled a little closer and couldn't resist pulling down the blankets a little further so he could press a kiss to Tom's body just above his bellybutton. "And what's so urgent then that we can't have a nice morning fuck."

Tom craned his neck so he could stare at Harry, one arm hooked behind his head. "I'd like to get that fertility business set up before we're discovered, for one. And I'm going to tell Dobby he has to answer your front door from now on."

Harry sat up at once, aghast. "You'll put Igor out of a job! How dare you!"

"Bad Tom, bad Tom," V agreed as he hopped along the headboard. "Save Igor, save Igor."

Tom glared at the annoying bird. "You are not part of me, I refuse to believe it."

"Believe, believe!" V clapped his beak while Harry swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"I'm going to save my favourite inferius." Harry looked towards the bedroom door. "Igor! Draw me a bath!"

"Eurgh!"

Then Harry mock glared at Tom. "You can go and take a shower because you don't appreciate Igor's hard work."

Tom chuckled at Harry's dramatics. "So what are your plans for today?"

"Start a proper national government, I suppose," Harry said with a faint shrug. "I'm sure Sabrina will have a list of shit to do. That's why I hired her." Then he glanced at Tom over his shoulder and gave him a saucy wink. "Just let me know when you want me to make a little… deposit. In fact, I expect a personal touch from you once I'm ready to make a donation."

Tom snorted and pushed himself up as well. "We'll put a bucket under you the next time I fuck you raw."

Harry cackled as he finally got up. "I'm glad you're here," he whispered once he'd calmed down.

"So am I," Tom replied and quickly pressed a kiss to the corner of Harry's mouth before moving to the bathroom.

They managed to keep it proper for the rest of their morning together. They enjoyed a quick breakfast in the kitchen of eggy bread and bacon with a fresh fruit salad on the side and then they parted ways. Just as Tom opened the front door to go to his mansion so he could work on his own projects, Sabrina stepped inside the castle with a bright smile on her face.

"Hi, Harry! Ready to create a government?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

They apparated to the newly constructed ministry building. On the front of the white marble façade the construction crew had carved: THE MINISTRY OF MAGICA. Harry was fine with that name, so he didn't comment on it as they stepped inside. The interior was still very bare, with stone walls and no furniture, but at least there were clearly separated rooms and a public area with a few desks and such. It was a very nice and functional start, Harry was pleased to see.

"What first?" he asked as he glanced at his assistant.

Sabrina peered at the scroll she had in her hands. "First we figure out what departments we need."

At this point Harry summoned most of his family members. "Hi, we need to create The Ministry of Magica and we need ideas for departments. Also, Tom and I moved in together, just for your information."

James shared a quick glance with Lily. "Who the hell is Tom? I thought you were dating Marvolo."

"That is Tom," Harry said with a chuckle. "That's his real name. He's taking to using it again since I fixed his soul up."

Fleamont sighed. "Perhaps it's best if we simply do not ask."

"Great idea," Lily said quickly, looking like she was more than happy to drop the subject of her only son's rather strange love life. "You'll need a Department of Immigration, first of all."

"Of course," Harry agreed happily. "Remus can run that department. He is the Immigration Officer."

"Department of Sports!" James all but shouted. "This country needs Quidditch, Harry."

"Duly noted."

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Patroclus said with a stern look. "Sooner or later people are going to mess up. They always do."

Sabrina was scribbling away while Harry nodded along as they came up with department after department.

It was Auntie Eustice who made the final suggestion. "A tax department. You'll need to start taxing people to pay for all of this, especially once you start staffing all the other departments."

"Yeah, you're right," Harry said with a little sigh. He knew he couldn't keep paying people out of pocket forever and ever. Eventually the country needed to run on its own economy and the government needed its own income by way of taxes.

"I'll post a wanted ad for Ministry personnel in the very first edition of The Daily Snitch," Sabrina said with a generous smile. "Free of charge."

"Thanks, that will help. We'll also announce it during our town meeting at the end of the week."

For the rest of the day, Sabrina kept Harry plenty busy with setting up plans and rules and laws for each department. Thankfully his family was there to help and their suggestions and advice helped enormously. They went to the Irish Cock for a quick lunch of bangers and mash, and afterwards they went back to work.

And Harry discovered that for all that Sabrina was one strange witch, she was bright and clever and a very hard worker. "Thank you," Harry told her sincerely at the end of the day when they were ready to part ways. "You've been a lifesaver."

"Oh, you're welcome, Harry." Sabrina beamed at him. "I have one request, though."

"Anything."

"My brother Xenophilius would like to move here as well. Could you move his home? He won't leave it behind because he built it together with his later wife Pandora." Sabrina got a sad look in her eyes and she blinked a few times while she seemed to collect herself.

"Sure, that's no problem. Just put it on my agenda." And with that, Harry apparated home. He found Tom in the library where Harry's house-elves had placed a desk for him to work at.

"Hey, we've got a government in the making, I'm happy to announce," Harry said as he strolled up to Tom.

Tom rubbed a tired hand across his face. "And I'm happy to announce that I've got a working plan for Operation Cuckoo."

"That's what we're calling it?" Harry chuckled and then leaned over to press a kiss to Tom's lips. "Love the name. Very fitting."

"Yes, I thought so," Tom said with a proud little smile. "I want to bring a few more people on board to run the whole scheme on a day to day basis."

"That's fine." Harry laughed outright. "The people don't know it yet, but they'll have to start paying taxes soon."

"As is expected in any country," Tom said reasonably, reaching for Harry's wrist and pulling him closer. "I owed you a little something, I believe."

"Don't be so humble," Harry whispered with a teasing grin. "There's nothing little about it. I've seen it up close for myself."

"Always fuck, always fuck," V chattered from his spot on his perch, giving them a disapproving glare. "Boring, boring."

Tom fucking Harry over his desk was anything but boring, as it turned out. Harry enjoyed it thoroughly, and so did Tom if his groans of satisfaction were any indication.

"Aw," Harry said later, as he cleaned up his release that he'd spurted all over Tom's desk. "We forgot the bucket." That earned him a slap against his bare arse. Worth it.

They enjoyed dinner in the kitchen. Violet had made them some chicken pot pie with a molten chocolate cake for dessert. Afterwards they spent some time in the library together, enjoying a bottle of wine while they discussed possible statements to give to the world once they were discovered.

The next morning Harry was practically bouncing out of his skin with excitement. Tom was going to show him something amazing to do with inferi and Harry honestly couldn't wait. He all but inhaled his bowl of blueberry oatmeal and downed his cup of tea when it was still just a bit too hot, but he didn't care.

Tom chuckled all the way out of the castle and then apparated them right onto a rock in the ocean.

"What the heck," Harry said in bewilderment.

Ignoring him, Tom waved his wand around, adjusting the wards and then immediately apparated them both to the rocky cliffside, right above the waves. A closed off entrance stood in their way, but Tom opened that with a small donation of his own blood. As soon as the rock wall slid aside an entrance appeared that led deep into a dark, damp cave.

There they found an enormous lake, the surface as flat as a mirror.

"Nice atmosphere," Harry commented, just as V clapped his beak and said, "Dead, dead. Many dead."

Tom glanced at Harry, gave him an utterly mischievous smile and then tapped the surface of the water with the toe of his shoe, just once.

Immediately a grey, decaying hand broke the surface, followed by more and more hands and arms and heads with stringy, soaking hair covering sunken faces.

"Holy crap!" Harry said in sheer joy. "That's a lot of inferi. How many are there?"

"A few hundred." Tom stepped a little closer, waving his wand to keep the inferi under his control. "And they're all yours."

Harry gaped at Tom, his heart close to bursting out of his chest. Inexplicably, his eyes misted over a little. "This is without a doubt the most amazing gift anyone has ever given me. Man, I love you."