Narcissa was attempting to make Draco and Haylan get along with a forced Black Cousin play date.
In other words, Narcissa shoved Draco into Haylan's office where he was already talking with Tonks, and locked the door behind her.
Haylan had just sighed.
Draco had been sure Haylan (Potter) would get pissed at either him or his mom for daring to do such a thing. But instead, Haylan just seemed to accept the antics of Narcissa and go back to his conversation with Tonks.
Draco stood awkwardly in front of the door, not sure what to do with himself.
Tonks rolled her eyes. "Come and sit down cousin, Haylan won't bite."
Haylan grinned, "Tonks might though. But yes do come sit down and help yourself to some tea. I doubt Narcissa will be unlocking that door anytime soon."
"Can't you just unlock the door yourself?" Draco asked confused.
"Well… yes I could. But I don't have a good reason to not indulge your mother's meddling, so I might as well let her." Haylan reasoned, taking a sip of his own English breakfast tea.
Draco cautiously sat down. He had a hard time handling that his old school nemesis was now the bloody Caliban Lord and Emperor. On one hand, he wanted to needle Potter to get him to react like he had back in school. On the other hand, Emperor Caliban had just returned Draco's magic to him and he wasn't eager to lose it again.
"Is that why you are letting Mother have so much control over your relationship with Blaise?" Draco couldn't help but ask.
"What do you mean?" Haylan asked with a frown. Tonks just sat back to enjoy the show, wondering if she could get one of the house elves to bring her popcorn.
"I mean… you're the emperor, right? So why do you let Mom and Uncle Siri interfere in your relationship with Blaise? You don't need to listen to them or stay away from Blaise, but you have been and I don't understand." Draco huffed frustrated.
Haylan smiled a soft smile that made his features look less harsh and more like the Potter that Draco remembers.
"A couple of reasons I suppose. First is that the vows that Blaise and I have decided to use if and when we decide to get married require us to not indulge in sex between us beforehand. If we had sex just because we couldn't control our hormones then we would have to find new vows that wouldn't be as powerful and could result in one of us getting hurt down the line. I want as much power and protection as I can get from our vows. Being with me is dangerous and I don't want anything to happen to Blaise more than I want to pin that man to a wall." Haylan stated simply, causing Draco to blush slightly. He did not want to hear about his best friend and godbrother having sex, ever.
"What else?" Draco asked cautiously.
"I was raised in the muggle world Draco. I knew nothing until I received my letter at eleven. Your Mother and Aunt have had to catch me up on Wizarding culture and traditions over the last couple of years. I am Emperor of the Wizarding World, not the muggle one, and I love being a wizard and magic. I want to respect the decades and centuries of wizarding traditions even if I personally did not grow up with them. One of these is the betrothal contract and all the stipulations that come with it. Some of this is out of respect for Mother Magic because some traditions feed the belief in her and in return, she continues to bless us with magic. Now as I have spoken with her personally she doesn't care one way or another if and when Blaise and I have sex, but that doesn't give me the right to ignore this tradition. It doesn't hurt anyway except maybe giving my betrothed blue balls, but he will live. "
"And what about letting Mother keep you two apart?"
"Ah, that one was hard to concede to I admit. Yes, Blaise and I behaved inappropriately, and we do see what an error that was. But if I had decided to go against Narcissa and Vivianna's decision, then Vivianna would have the power to cancel our contract. Also, I respect Narcissa and she is one of the few family members I have in my life. I was honored when she accepted the role of negotiating my contract since I have no one else alive in my direct family to do so for me. Narcissa didn't have to help teach me when the goblins asked her to when I was 14. She didn't have to take so much time away from her family and keep secrets from them to help me. She didn't have to take on many of the things I have asked her to do for me. I deeply love and respect Narcissa and I would not do her the disservice of going against her in this." Haylan was quite passionate as he spoke and Draco knew that Haylan loved his mother in the same way that Draco did.
Draco hesitated briefly before asking his next question but decided to ask anyway.
"And what you said in the interview the other day… will you really let Blaise have the same power as you? You said he would be your equal…"
"Mmm yes, he will have the same political power that I do. I know that Blaise doesn't have the same magical power levels that I do, but he doesn't need to be a necromancer or have the power to talk to the Gods face-to-face to rule by my side. We will have an equal partnership in our marriage and equal responsibilities. If for some reason something happened to me, Blaise would have the experience needed to take over and the Gods would back him as my spouse. Previous spouses in my lineage have been given the same title as the rightful blood heir or lord. So after we marry Blaise will be Emperor Lord Blaise Caliban, Lord Zabini and Consort Caliban." Haylan couldn't help but blush at the thought of Blaise taking his name and being Haylan's permanently. Haylan couldn't wait for it to come true.
"Well…" Draco said with surprise, "I guess I will have to get my teasing done now before Blaise marries you."
This made Haylan and Tonks laugh, letting Draco relax in the presence finally.
Maybe they could get along after all.
Haylan and Blaise had taken to secretly planning their wedding during their weekly Wednesday dates.
It was now late September and things had calmed down considerably since Dumbledore had been dealt with. They knew the Order was still out there but so far they had gone off the grid, Spain was making progress on agreeing to peace negotiations, and Voldemort was also behaving for the time being thanks to the help of Bellatrix.
Blaise and Haylan had only been dating for 14 weeks but it was getting harder and harder to spend time apart from each other. Their last couple of dates they had done nothing but curl up together and bask in each other's presence and magic. It was getting to the point that they were afraid they were going to need to bring in a healer to assess why they felt so drained and stretched thin while apart, so they decided if they started the preparations for the wedding themselves then when they approached their families on fulfilling the contract before the end of the year that they would be more agreeable. It would also allow them to have some more control over what their wedding would be like.
So far they had agreed on one private ceremony with only their family speaking their true vows and overseen by Lord Death and Lady Magic and then one public ceremony with more casual vows and maybe Akingbade to oversee marrying them.
They couldn't take a long honeymoon due to Haylan's and soon-to-be Blaise's responsibilities to the Empire, but they were planning to take a week off somewhere private.
They were also planning to contact the goblins to help strengthen the wards for the wedding tenfold.
Haylan would be damned if any of his enemies wanted to target what should be the happiest day of their lives.
"We should probably pick a color scheme so my mother and Aunt Cissa don't do it for us," Blaise said as he ran his fingers through Haylan's hair. Bella and Andromeda were chaperoning them today and couldn't care less how close the boys were as long as they weren't trying to have sex.
Haylan let his head lay on Blaise's shoulder, humming happily at the feel of Blaise's fingers on his scalp.
"I think we should keep our color scheme simple, for both ceremonies. Maybe our house colors for the private ceremony?" Haylan suggested.
"That would be proper. How about black and white for the public wedding, to match your crown since you'll have to wear it anyway." Blaise murmured.
"You just like seeing me in my crown." Haylan teased.
"Damn right, I do." Blaise wasn't embarrassed to admit that Haylan in his black and white crushed opal crown did things to him.
"I am sure you will look just as good when I can place your new crown on you," Haylan said slyly.
"You still won't show me what my crown will look like?" Blaise wondered with a pout.
"Nope. It is a surprise, but I promise you will love it." Haylan grinned.
"I love you." Blaise sappily said, kissing the top of Haylan's head.
"And I love you." Haylan blushed but leaned further into Blaise's touch. "I cannot wait till we are married and you never have to leave again."
"I can't wait to wake up in the mornings with you wrapped in my arms Haylan. I will also be happy when the world will see that you are permanently and forever mine." Blaise growled a little possesively.
"I'm already yours forever Blaise. Nothing and no one will change that." Haylan soothed Blaise. "Now how shall we go about the invites for the public ceremony? Not everyone can attend."
"What if you used the thing you used to show everyone Dumbledore's execution? We invite the most important political figures to be at the ceremony in person and everyone else can watch it."
"That is a pretty good idea. It shouldn't sap much of my strength to hold the power for the sphere to work during the ceremony."
"And at the reception, we can sneak off together." Blaise teased.
"Blaise!" Haylan shook his head and pinched Blaise's side.
"Oi! No pinching Your Highness."
"Then stop being an imbecile and come cuddle with me."
Blaise huffed and pulled Haylan into his lap, their tea long forgotten as they cuddled together, their magic swirling and merging together.
"10 galleons that they get married before the end of the year." Andromeda bet her older sister as they played gin rummy, watching Blaise and Haylan out of the corner of her eye.
"20 galleons that they are married before the end of October." Bella retorted with.
"Deal." Andromeda nodded. "Sirius and his delusions have already bet 40 galleons that they wait until after the spring equinox."
That made Bella snort in disbelief. "Yeah right. Sirius has always been a little stupid."
Andromeda chuckled and nodded. It was nice to be able to talk with both of her sisters amicably again and it was all thanks to Haylan.
Blaise and Haylan eventually fell asleep curled around one another on the sofa in front of the old fireplace in the den of Caliban Castle. They both dreamed of their wedding and finally being able to be together permanently.
They hadn't been together very long but it felt like they had known one another forever and when their magic mingled together it felt like coming home.
Blaise once teased that they could be soulmates reincarnated to find each other again and again. Haylan had teased him for his romantic fantasies but privately agreed that if anything ever happened to Blaise he would find him again and again in any other lifetime too.
Nothing would keep them apart.
Not Fate, Magic, Time, or Death.