Over the next few days, Tom would leave early and come back late. Harry had to guess whatever he was planning was big if it took up so much of his time. He was worried about what it might mean for his friends, but he didn't ask, nor did he say anything when he exchanged letters with Ron and Hermione.
But now he wasn't sure. When he had woken up that morning, Tom was still there in bed with him, quietly watching him in that creepy way of his. Why would he watch him sleep? But anyway, he didn't question it, glad to have someone to talk to at least for a little bit. They got up and Tom got dressed while Harry got Wynter changed and dressed and ordered breakfast from the house elf that appeared; completely normal morning. But Tom was a little...on edge? There was just something off, but Tom didn't say anything, nor did he act like anything was different. When the house-elf came back with their food, they sat down and ate breakfast, filling the silence with idle chatter; then when they were done, Tom helped him clean up Wynter and her mess and then went to the bathroom to do whatever. Harry put Wynter on the floor to play and then got dressed.
He had just finished tying up his shoelaces and straightened himself when he saw it. His blood ran cold and he froze as he looked at his daughter...wrapped up in the coils of a huge snake.
She didn't look scared, only curious, but Harry was freaking out."T-Tom," he managed to get out, his voice shaky. The door to the bathroom opened and Tom peered out and Harry gestured with his chin over to what he could barely see of their daughter.
-Nagini- Tom hissed in Parseltongue, leveling her with a look, -Be careful-
"Careful?" Harry asked Tom incredulously. Then turned to the snake -Get off of her- he hissed.
Nagini turned her huge head to look over at him -I will not harm master's hatchling- she hissed and continued to smell Wynter with its tongue; flicking in and out at her face.
That didn't make him feel any better and he was afraid to move for fear it would trigger a reaction and hurt Wynter.
Tom sat down next to him on the bed and gently placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Nagini will not harm her," he said softly and then looked to his familiar with a stern look. Nagini bowed her head slightly in understanding.
Harry relaxed slightly but was still on guard if the blasted snake did anything. But Wynter seemed just fine wrapped up in the large snakes' coils, watching it with fascination. Nagini leveled her face inches in front of her face gazing at her and Wynter stared back.
-Hello hatchling- Nagini hisses to her and Wynter laughed as the tongue flicked out and touched her. Then as quick as a snake herself, Wynter grabbed a hold of Nagini's snout, giggling all the while.
Harry gasped and made to move to get up, but Tom stopped him by wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him against him. Harry needn't be worried because Nagini did nothing, only hissed in discomfort as Wynter held on to her face tightly and swung her arm making her head move with Wynter's hand. It would have been funny if Harry wasn't so terrified. Even if she was a tame snake who listened to her master, he knew what the big snake could do, had seen it.
-Let go hatchling- Nagini told Wynter trying to free her head from the surprisingly tight grip. But Wynter would not let go and continued to swing her head back and forth. -Please let go...it hurts- she hissed and Wynter let her go and cooed at the snake.
Harry was kind of startled that Wynter listened and even Tom stiffened slightly but he just passed it off as a coincidence; he glanced at Tom and it seemed he thought so too. Nagini was playing with Wynter, which was surprising, by lifting her tail and swaying it in front of her and Wynter tried to catch it, her little hands grabbing for it. But she soon got bored of it and suddenly wrapped her arms around Nagini's neck and held her close; happy as could be.
-Your hatchling is very clingy- Nagini said to Tom as she moved in discomfort; she was obviously not used to so much affection, especially from a small child.
Tom smiled and had to agree, but she was a baby still. -Her name isn't hatchling. It's Wynter- he told Nagini, yet when he said her name Wynter looked up at him let go of Nagini, and went about petting her scales in a careful manner. Tom had seen it this time and stood up, suddenly radiating hope and excitement.
"What?" Harry asked getting up to, worried, "What happened?" He looked at Wynter to see if she was injured but saw nothing.
Tom didn't reply and just knelt in front of Wynter. -Wynter- he hissed softly. And miraculously, Wynter looked up at him and smiled. Tom could only stare in shock.
"Oh my god," Harry whispered and dropped to the floor too, -Wynter. Look at mommy- he hissed and she turned her head to look at him and started babbling away at him.
"I can't believe it, she can understand us," Harry shook his head and laughed, "Well, looks like there is another parselmouth in the family."
"Yeah," Tom whispered, staring at his daughter in shock, "I never thought- never even considered the possibility that she could have inherited parseltongue."
"If you think about it, both her parents have the ability. It makes sense that she would get it; at least from you, as I am not a true parselmouth."
Tom looked at Harry curiously, but said nothing and instead placed his hand on top of Wynter's head and gently stroked a soft cheek as he looked at his daughter in pride.
-The Wynter-hatchling is another speaker then?- Nagini asked -Good-
Tom looked at his familiar with an amused smile, -Yes. She will be. And thank you, Nagini-
-I did nothing, master- she hissed back.
-On the contrary, you did very much. It would have been a long time for us to realize that she was a speaker if it weren't for you- Nagini only nodded her massive head in understanding.
-I guess it was worth it for you to come in here and scare me half to death- Harry said.
Nagini bowed her head to him -I am truly sorry Harry Potter, it was not my intention-
-Just Harry is fine- he hissed and then hesitantly reached out a hand to touch the snakes big head and she let him. -I hope we don't have any problems in the future-
-As you wish Harry. And I hope we do not either. Just keep master satisfied and all will be good. I like seeing his goofy smile in the morning-
-Nagini- Tom hissed in warning. A series of hisses came from the snake in response and Harry realized she was laughing. Harry couldn't help but smile too and gave Tom a suggestive look.
-I will take my leave now, master- she said and uncoiled herself from Wynter and headed to a large camouflaged flap that was near the door. Harry had never known it was even there.
"Well, that was a surprise," Harry said as he watched Nagini disappear into the hole, the flap closing behind her and disappearing. At least that explained why he never saw it. "But not that we can do anything about it yet, she has to start talking first."
"True," Tom muttered and stared out in thought. But he snapped back to himself before he could go too far."Speaking of surprises. I have one for you."
"Ooh? Dirty?" Harry asked with a smirk.
Tom held back a laughed, but he did smile; his blue eyes sparkling with mirth. "No."
"Where is it?"
"It's not here. I have to take you to it," Tom replied.
"Okay."
"You have to wear this," Tom said holding up a blindfold.
"Kinky," Harry said taking it from him and running it through his fingers, "I don't think I'm into this sort of thing."
"We'll see," Tom said, eyes glittering with promise.
Harry just shook his head with a smile and looked at Wynter who had allowed herself to fall onto her back while she played with her bear, then looked back at Tom.
"We'll take her with us," he said to Harry's silent question, "It's for her too."
Harry looked at him curiously as he went to put together Wynter's diaper bag. "Does she need this too?" he teased holding up his blindfold.
"No. I don't think she would keep it on anyway."
"Probably not," Harry said, checking to make sure he had everything. He then picked up Wynter, made sure she wasn't sticky from breakfast, and gave her her bear, which she clutched close. Harry then turned to Tom and held out his blindfold. "Ready."
Tom took it and lightly trailed it over Harry's free shoulder and against his neck as he circled behind him. Harry shivered and gave Tom a playful glare before the black cloth covered his eyes.
"So glad I don't have my glasses anymore."
"So glad," Tom echoed, tying a knot in the back.
"Hey!" he exclaimed playfully.
"Okay? Not too tight?"
"No, I'm good," Harry said and kissed the small hand that was on his face, curiously patting the fabric. He felt Tom's arm encircle his waist and pull him tight against him, encasing Wynter between them.
"Ready?"
Harry tightened his grip on Wynter and nodded.
With a final check to make sure everyone was secure. Holding Wynter's small hand when she gave it to him, huddled close knowing something was happening; Tom shifted the wards slightly and apparated.
xxx
Harry breathed in deep as he always did after apparating and did a mental check that everything was intact. It was a little disconcerting that he did not know where he was but everything was intact. Wynter made a noise of discomfort in his arms, one that sounded like she was going to cry and Harry quickly bounced her.
"Shh. It's okay, princess," Tom cooed to her and Harry could feel him touching her to calm her down and she did.
As Tom soothed their daughter, Harry took a moment to catalog what he was feeling to see if he could tell where he was at. There was a nice cool breeze blowing that ruffled his hair, and it had a sort of smell to it that he couldn't place...was it salt? There were no identifying sounds but a few birds chirping and he could hear something else in the distance but didn't know what as he had never heard anything like it, but it was loud like running water. "Where are we?" he finally asked.
"This way," Tom only said and guided him forward up what he guessed was a path. Harry could feel cracks in it like it was stone, placed there; not solid. "Okay," Tom only said after a short walk up a slant and stopped him.
"Here?" he asked. It was curious because they were still outside, but Tom said nothing. But he felt Tom go around him and started releasing the knot of his blindfold. With his eyesight cut off, his hearing was enhanced, so he heard Tom let out a nervous breath and was confused as to why. Dark Lords didn't get nervous, Tom didn't as far as he knew. He thought it was weird.
But then-
Then the blindfold fell away and what he saw took his breath away.
Standing in front of him was the most beautiful, beautiful! two-story house he had ever seen.
"Oh my god, Tom...this...this is..."
"Yours," Tom paused to think, "Ours," he gave him a hesitant smile, "House on the beach like you asked."
"Really?" Harry asked and turned and yes, he could see the blue of the ocean in the distance.
"...Do you like it?" Tom asked uncertainly.
"Yes! It-It's beautiful!" Harry said in awe, trying to take everything in at once.
He turned completely around to see a road that curved in front of the house and on one side was a cliff that dropped down to the sandy beach. Further down he could see other houses; there were also some on the other side farther away from "his" house. Looking down at the floor he saw he was standing on a cobbled path that led straight to the door. Plants lined the path on either side and went straight up to the front steps and turned into bigger bushes that were against the house. Facing forward again, the beach drop off was on his left were a wall covered in ivy had been erected and led all the way down and around the back. Flowers and small bushes lined the wall in front and stopped against the house, but then bigger bushes and flower arrangements filled in the space in front of the house in line with the front steps. There were also big, tall palm trees here and there in the little yard upfront and some in the back from what he could tell.
It was after Harry was done looking at the scenery around them that he finally turned to the house itself. The path they were on went up to three steps to a little-enclosed porch where there was a tall white French door; potted plants were on either side, giving it some color. The house itself was a light beige color, a little darker than the sand out on the beach, with white trimming. On the front of the house on either side were two big windows on the bottom floor and two bay windows on the top floor. There were also two small windows in the middle of the second floor. He looked up and shielded his eyes against the sun to see a light brown shingled roof, where he could also see the brick of a chimney.
"We have a fireplace?" he asked excitedly. The cottage hadn't had one and he missed the warmth of the hearth that his old place had had before all the drama had started.
"Two," Tom replied and smiled slightly as Harry's eyes widened. He looked just like Wynter then, green eyes wide in child-like wonder, looking around at everything at once. It had been the first time giving a gift to someone where he actually cared about what they thought and he had to admit that he had been uncertain, but judging by Harry's reaction, he liked it. It was a big relief. "Want to check out the inside?"
"Yes!" Harry exclaimed and eagerly followed Tom up the steps. Tom opened the door and stepped back to let Harry through, and Harry gasped for the second time. If the outside was beautiful, the inside was gorgeous, with its white walls and dark hardwood floors. "Oh my god, Tom," Harry breathed drinking in the room, "When did-" he stopped and turned to Tom. "This is what you were doing?"
"Yes," Tom admitted. "I found it last week. I was putting up all the wards and picking out all of this," he said gesturing inside.
"So it's safe here?"
"I wouldn't have brought you two here if I didn't think so," Tom said, "This place is heavily warded and invisible to outsiders. It just looks like the drop off outside. It's one of the reasons why I chose it,"
"It looks natural," Harry guessed.
"Exactly."
Harry nodded in understanding and stepped further in, holding Wynter tight against him in excitement as he scanned the room. The whole first floor was open, as in one big room, but had different areas. To his left was the stairs leading to the second floor. There were two bookcases full of books against the wall, most of them simple reads like fairy tales and simple magic books on charms and potions, but there was nothing dark; all next to one of the big windows he had seen outside with a lovely dark blue long curtains that were common throughout the house on all the windows. Next, to the bookcase, there was a desk with a computer set up on it against the wall of the stairs and right next to it he saw a door and he opened it to a small closet that had a few coats and a folded up playpen that was obviously for Wynter. He flashed Tom a smile as he closed the door and turned back to the room. Across from him on the other side of the front door was a closed-off room that jutted out slightly. He walked over to the door and saw that it was a small bathroom with just a toilet and sink; the walls were a light beige color and the same dark hardwood as the main room with a simple beige bath mat as decoration. Going around the wall he saw a sliding wooden door that revealed a washing machine and dryer in a deep maroon.
"Ooh, red," Harry awed.
Tom laughed from behind him, "I thought you might like that."
"Thanks," Harry said and looked at Wynter who was looking upward and lightly tugging on his shirt. He followed her gaze and saw that there was a hole in the ceiling. Walking over he realized he could see up on the second floor. Wynter pointed a finger up and looked at him babbling at him to look. "I see. How cool is that, huh?" he asked her and she just continued to look up, completely fascinated.
"I thought so too," Tom said.
Harry turned his attention forward and saw a small sitting area set into the floor; it was like a pit that you had to step down into it. It was square with four white couches on each side, two blue lamps were on opposite sides in the corners and a coffee table in the middle.
"This is amazing!" Harry exclaimed stepping down into the pit and running his hand over one of the couches before sitting down. It was a nice place to sit down and relax and just talk, have a nice cup of coffee or tea with Tom, watching Wynter as she played with her toys, running around and hearing the soft patter of footsteps... He shook himself from his daydreaming and got up to explore the rest of the house. He left the pit and went to the far right side of the house to the dark mahogany dining table that seated six, possibly eight with two more chairs, but there were only six but had a high chair at the end by the wall. The chair was a chocolate brown and white, with pink fabric lining. Right across from it was the kitchen which he made a beeline to, mouth dropping open at the giant kitchen with all the fixings; microwave, blender, knives, pots, and pans hanging from the ceiling. It was a nice dark wood, the same color as the dining table with two sinks. One built into the counter and another on the island. His kitchen had an island! Complete with four stools that he could sit on, on the opposite side, closer to the table. It was so extravagant and elegant at the same time, he loved it.
"I know you like to cook," Tom said from behind him.
"I do," Harry replied as he peered into a few of the many cabinets; there were plates and glasses, Tupperware, utensils in the drawers, and a pantry full of food. He opened one of the top cabinets, "Wynter look! Daddy got you your food!" he said to her, bouncing her on his hip. The bottom shelf was full of baby food and the second one had some soft crackers for her to munch on or gnaw, for now; there were also new bowls to replace the ones that had been lost in the fire. Wynter pointed to her food and looked at him then looked back. Harry smiled and kissed her forehead; she was doing that a lot now, pointing at things that interested her, which was everything.
"You thought of everything, didn't you?" he asked as he passed the double basin sink, running his hand over the granite countertop. He peered out the window that was right in between the top cabinets and the countertops over the sink and saw plants and another palm tree right outside; he could see the beach and a house in the distance. He then turned to the other window facing the backyard and nearly squealed in excitement. "We have to pool?!"
Tom chuckled, "Yes. I know the ocean is right there, but sometimes you want to just stick close to home."
Harry nodded and reined in his excitement and turned back to the kitchen; he would see the backyard later. He continued between the counter and the island; in which the other sink was and opposite it was a high-end stove. "I guess I will be cooking a lot more now. Don't want all of this to go to waste."
"I look forward to it."
"I bet you do." Harry bypassed the floor to ceiling windows and the door to the backyard, but he did notice that there were two on each side of the door, covered in the same blue curtains only longer; it touched the floor to cover the whole window when it wasn't tied back by the sash. Right in the corner of the room was another sitting area, only this one had a TV set up in the corner at an angle on top of a wide mahogany stand. Surrounding it was two long couches in a deep blue like the curtains with a blue armchair between them. There were side tables with white lamps on each side of the couches; one near the wall closest to the backyard and the other in between the couch and armchair in the middle.
"I love the color scheme in here," he said running his hand over the soft cushions of the couch. Blue and white is a good color and it looks great."
"Glad you think so," Tom replied.
"I'm surprised you put this here, the computer too," Harry said as he looked at the flat-screen TV and brand new DVD player sitting in the middle of the stand.
"I will admit, Muggles have some useful things," Tom said, pointedly not looking at Harry's grin.
Harry's face suddenly fell. "Aw. I just remembered all of my movies are gone," he said sadly. He had just got all the important things like clothes and his pictures and that was it; he was kind of in a hurry.
"I got some," Tom said opening up the top drawer on the TV stand. Inside were a few DVDs still wrapped in plastic. "They are mostly the ones that we have seen already, but I did get a few that looked interesting."
Harry nodded as he flipped through them, "We can start having movie night again once we get settled in."
"Sounds good." Tom had missed those nights, truth be told, just simply sitting on the couch with Harry and sometimes Wynter is she hadn't fallen asleep yet, watching a movie. It was an entirely useless process but he enjoyed the quality time he spent with them.
"Okay, backyard time," Harry said hoisting Wynter up from where he had put her on the couch. "You are getting heavy," he told her and she smiled at him. "Here, go with Daddy," he said, handing her to Tom. She held out her arms for Tom and wrapped them around his neck when he took her.
"What do you think, princess? You like it here?" Tom asked her. But she wasn't paying attention. She had lost her bear. It was on the floor and she made him bend down to get it.
Harry meanwhile had freed his arms and put down the diaper bag, then practically ran to the glass door and headed out to the backyard. It wasn't that big but it was wide with lots of greenery. Plants and bushes grew around the border wall of the yard, vines growing up it, giving it a natural look. To his right was the pool he had seen through the window. It was not your standard rectangular pool, this one had rounded corners and it curved slightly on one side, giving it a lopsided look. At the far end, there was an above-ground Jacuzzi that had a lower lip on the side to create a waterfall into the pool. There were plants that grew around it to make it more exotic. A table was right next to the door with four chairs so that they could eat outside. On the other side of the pool were two long lawn chairs facing out toward the beach that could be seen over the fence.
Speaking of the fence, Harry saw a break in the wall where there was a gate. Going over to it and looking over the bars he could see stairs. "We can go to the beach from here?" Harry asked excitedly.
Tom looked up from where he was playing with Wynter by the Jacuzzi sitting on the side and letting her put her hands in the water. "Yes. The steps go all the way down to the water. The wards have it blocked off on the sides so it's like a private beach."
"Really?" he said and gazed out at the clear blue water. "I could go skinny dipping," Harry said, more to himself but Tom heard.
Tom's eyebrows rose in surprise, "If you want to."
Harry turned away blushing slightly with a little smile, no doubt plotting in that Gryffindor mind of him; until he turned back to explore some more.
Harry moved on to the left side of the yard, skirting along the vine-covered wall to another sitting area that was set up like the one inside. There were four couches in a square; the cushions a soft cream color and the border a dark brown, surrounding a fire pit...of it looked like one. It was long and rectangular and had edges so that you could put a cup or plate if you wish. The inside was different as well, there was no wood but there were light blue crystals that looked like glass.
"What is this?" he asked Tom, picking up a few of the shards, it was glass.
Tom came over with Wynter who was holding her bear again with wet hands, water spots on her clothes, and Tom too. It seemed Tom didn't learn his lesson from the last time he was near Wynter with water. "It's fire glass," Tom said answering his question, "There is a gas line underneath and it reflects off the glass to create fire."
"Ooh," Harry said in awe. He dropped the pieces of glass back in the pit and watched how the sunlight shone on the glass. "Cool."
"I can show you later."
"Okay," Harry said and continued on. Beyond the sitting area, there was a grassy area that extended past the side of the house; the wall and the vines were encircling it enclosed and away from the cliff on the other side. In the grassy area was a playground complete with a swing set, three slides, and climbing steps, all of them leading into a little cabin-like enclosure at the top. It was really big, but nothing but the best for their little girl. "Oh my god, it's so cute!" Harry said running over to it. He sat down on one of the swings and lightly swung himself; there were three swings, two regular ones, and one that had a baby seat on it.
It was here that Tom placed Wynter into the baby swing and gave her a little push to get her swinging. Wynter gazed at them both with wide eyes as she swung and started laughing in joy, clapping her hands as the wind caressed her face as she moved back and forth.
"She loves it," Harry said as she kept laughing, "Oh she is going to so enjoy all this when she is older."
"I thought so," Tom said, making grabbing motions at Wynter as she swung up to him, making her screech in delight. "I had to put something out there for her, and I always see these things at parks and such with kids running around...I thought it would be good to have."
"Well, you thought right, huh sweet pea!" he said to Wynter. Harry got up and went to the climbing rocks on the side and easily scaled it into the cabin area where he crawled over to the curvy slide and went down it. It was such a short ride, but it was so much fun, he had never been on a playground thanks to Dudley, so he was glad his daughter was going to; he had a feeling Tom felt the same way.
Harry faced forward again after going down the slide and saw that there was a built-in BBQ, complete with a sink, small fridge and two burners on each side with a wide countertop near the side of the house, opposite of the sitting area. "Wow. I've never had one of these before," he said going over to it and running his hand over the stone countertop.
"No?" Tom asked as he picked Wynter up from the swing.
"No. Not even at the Dursley's, but I'll learn. It opens up a lot of food possibilities."
"Sounds good," Tom said using Wynter's hand for emphasis and she giggled.
She patted Tom's face with her wet hand and babbled at him, "Mmma, mmma, mmma," she said.
Tom smiled at her, "I'm not mama, mama is over there," he said pointing to Harry who had come up to them.
She looked at Harry then looked back to Tom, "Mmma, mmma."
"No Dada," Harry told her, "I'm mama."
Wynter looked to Harry again and started babbling again excitedly, "Mmma! Mmma!"
"Mama," Harry told her, but she kept saying the same thing, until she got distracted by a bird that flew by and she started pointing at it, babbling away. Harry sighed and rubbed her back, "Almost."
"She's growing too fast," Tom said as he kissed her forehead.
"Yeah..." Harry agreed and they stood there in silence until Wynter yawned and laid her head against Tom's shoulder.
Tom snapped out of his daze, "Ready to see upstairs?"
"God yes!" Harry said realizing where he was, he was already comfortable here; it was home. But he had only seen downstairs and it was amazing, he could only imagine what it looked like upstairs.
From what he could see from here, there were balconies on each side of the big floor to ceiling windows that were in the middle of the floor. He couldn't wait, so he led the way back inside and passed the TV area, which he had started calling the "entertainment area" in his mind, to get to the stairs. But before he went further he saw the fireplace that he had noticed from outside. It was right between the entertainment area and the stairs.
"Fireplace!" he exclaimed and stopped to look. It was one of those stone fireplaces in a light brown with a white mantle and trim around it and a black grate inside that had fresh logs ready for burning. On the mantle there was a little statue of a lion with a snake wrapped around it, the snakes head resting on the mane of the lion; it was a simple knick-knack, but it apparently held much more meaning. On either side of the statue were picture frames...of people he didn't know. He looked at Tom quizzically and he chuckled.
"Those are just fillers. I figured you can put pictures of Wynter in them or-" he shrugged, "your friends."
"You?" Harry inquired.
Tom looked surprised for a moment, before shrugging again, "If you want."
"I think I will. It's your home too," Harry thought for a moment. "I think I have one of you, I'm not sure...I'll have to take one. Well, anyway, thanks."
"Not a problem," Tom said, then gestured to the stairs in an 'after you' way and they climbed the stairs to the second floor.
When they reached the landing, Harry was in front of one of the big bay windows. It was the kind that jutted out of the house and had a sitting area. Harry got up on the ledge to look out the window and saw the whole front yard sprawled out in front of him including some houses in the distance. He could also see a cluster of houses as they got further into the mainland; there was even a shopping center out there as a cluster of big buildings, all within walking distance.
"What kind of stores are out there?" he asked.
"A market, deli, two department stores, and a few others," Tom replied.
"Wow."
"I rather liked that too, it's convenient. Plus, there are a few other stores along the shore, maybe a restaurant or two."
"We have to go then," Harry said getting up and turning to the room, which was just a large hallway.
The room was smaller than downstairs, but that was because there were rooms up here. Right in the middle of the floor was the hole in which he had seen in the ceiling downstairs. Looking down over the railing he could see into the sitting area and part of the kitchen. The railing was a nice dark wood, the same color as the hardwood floor, all around the hole and he felt wards around it too, no doubt for extra precaution. There were doors on either side of the hallway, two on the left and two on the right.
"How many rooms are there?" Harry asked looking at them all.
"There are four bedrooms and each has its own bathroom. Two guest rooms, the master and Wynter's."
"Two guest rooms? I don't think we need them."
"No, but they are there."
Harry did not doubt that they had been there with the house, but it gave him hope that one day he could have guests over.
"Where do you want to start?" Tom asked. "Guest rooms are both on this side," he said pointing to the left, "or ours and Wynter's," he pointed to the right."
Harry hesitated, not sure where to go, but then decided to leave their bedrooms for last and went to the left and opened the first door. As he walked in, he let out a pleased laugh when he looked around. Inside was a wide spacious room with white walls, the floor the same dark hardwood with a white rug in front of the bed. A queen-size bed that had a red cover on it was in the middle of the room against the far wall in between two wide windows with white curtains. The furniture in the room was all a sleek modern design in a deep red like the bedcover; the dresser, wardrobe the desk in the corner and chair, even the lamps--all in Gryffindor red.
"What do you think?" Tom asked with a smile, just a quirk of the lips.
"I didn't think you were going to put in Gryffindor colors in this place, guess I was wrong."
"We're not sleeping in here," Tom said simply.
"True," Harry chuckled and shook his head as he looked around, "This is amazing." He went to the side door and opened it. "Oh my god, even here!" Harry exclaimed as he walked into what was a bathroom which was also done up in red and white. Two of the walls were white and the other two were red giving it a nice contrast, and the floor was a nice tile with red and black in a checkered pattern. The cabinet above the sink was red and had a mirror on the front. The sink, toilet, and the shower were white and there was a white rug on the floor in front of the shower.
"You should see the other one," Tom said.
Harry looked at Tom and his slight smile and he had to see it. He left the guest room, letting Tom close the door behind him while Harry went further down the hall to the next door and went in. He immediately laughed as he stepped inside. True to what Tom had said, this room was done up in a light green and brown.
"Way to stick to your roots Tom," Harry said running his hand over the green duvet that had white flowery stitching.
"Have to display it somewhere."
"Our room isn't like this is it?" Harry asked gesturing around at all the green.
"No."
"Good," Harry said and went around inspecting the wardrobe which was also green. There was a green armchair in the corner and brown curtains on the windows in the room, of which there were four, two on either side of the bed and two on the wall facing the backyard. Peeking into the bathroom through the door on the right, Harry saw that it was also done in green and brown. The walls a soft green with white trim, but the toilet, shower, and sink were white. "This is amazing," he said closing the door and walking over to look out the sliding glass door that was between the two windows to see the small balcony with two simple chairs and a potted plant in the corner. "And these are just the guest rooms."
Tom only tilted his head as if to say 'wait until you see the others.' Wynter looked up at her father from her position in his arms, one underneath her that she was sitting on and the other wrapped around her waist so that she was leaning back against his chest, kicking her little legs--and tilted her head to the side, copying him, making Harry laugh. She picked up on a lot of things that they did, this was just one of them. Harry only hoped she didn't pick up on any of their bad habits.
Harry tugged on her feet as he passed her and back into the hallway. At the back of the house, the whole back wall was a series of big windows. There were no curtains to block the sunlight from streaming in and lighting up the whole floor and you could see the whole backyard and the blue ocean beyond the fence as far as the eye could see; it was breathtaking. In front of the window were two white love seats and a coffee table where one could sit and relax under the rays of the sun.
"Oh I am going to love this," Harry said sitting down in one of the loveseats and closing his eyes, letting the sun warm his face.
"It is a nice place," Tom agreed, "I liked the windows here, you can see so much from here."
"I know," Harry murmured opening his eyes and gazing out the window again. Wynter yawned and Harry gently combed her hair back from her face. "Sleepy sweetie?" he asked her. She gave him a sleepy smiled and rubbed her eyes and relaxed back against Tom, completely comfortable. "Is she heavy?" he asked.
"No, she's good," Tom said and gently kissed the top of her head.
"Okay," Harry said getting up. He went down the rest of the back hallway and around the corner of a room that jutted out slightly, to a door. "Whose is this?" he asked.
"Ours."
Harry's eyes widened and he turned to the door in excitement. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open. The first thing he noticed was that the room was big, bigger than the other rooms and that the jutted out part that was in the hallway was not part of the main room, probably a bathroom. The second thing he noticed was that there was a fireplace in the bedroom.
"Another one!" he exclaimed as he examined it. It was the same brownstone as the one downstairs, but there was nothing on the mantle; he would fix that later. There was also a door to the right of the fireplace. "What's in here?"
"Wynter's room," Tom answered.
"Oh. That makes things easy," Harry said and turned away from the door to look at the rest of the room.
The walls were a nice white and the floor the same hardwood as the rest of the house. There was a big beige rug in the center of the room and on it was a big king size bed in beige and chocolate brown, which was the colors of the room, against the far wall. Two bay windows were on either side of the bed with beige curtains inside to block the sun. On the right side of the right window was a wardrobe in dark oak wood; on the opposite side of the room there was another wardrobe, apparently one for each of them. Nightstands in the same dark oak wood were placed on either side of the bed with lamps on it. Opposite the bed was a long dresser in the same wood with a mirror over it. Next to the dresser on the right was another door and opening it revealed a big bathroom. Inside there were two sinks on the left with beige tops and a toilet against the far wall, an above-ground tub in the corner, and a walk-in shower on the right, opposite the door that looked like it could hold four people.
"My god, Tom. This is amazing," Harry said, backing out of the bathroom, "It's too much!"
"I thought we deserved some comfort," Tom said. He had placed Wynter in the middle of the massive bed and was watching him, gauging his reaction.
"Yes but..." Harry looked around at it all, not knowing what to say.
"It's a master bedroom for a reason," Tom said simply.
"True," Harry murmured and went to one of the windows that faced the backyard to look out, moving the beige curtain aside. There was a balcony out there with two chairs and a small table so that they could sit out there and enjoy the view. In the middle of the two windows was a sliding glass door and he opened it to let some fresh air in through the screen; closing his eyes against the wind. "I can't believe this is ours."
"Do you like it?" Tom asked, "I tried not to overdo it."
"I love it," Harry said turning away from the window and jumped up on the bed, making Wynter bounce and fall over, giggling. "How about you? Do you like it?" She babbled at him and reached out her arms and Harry picked her up. "Want to check out your room? Yeah?" he asked has and she stared up at him and gave what looked like a nod. "Okay." Harry headed out into the hallway preferring to see the room from that perspective; Tom following behind him with Wynter's teddy bear. "Did you decorate it too?" he asked.
"Yes...was that okay?" Tom asked uncertainly.
"Yeah. That's fine. I decorated the last one. It was fun, but so much stuff! I mean how many shades of pink are there?"
"47," Tom supplied.
Harry stopped and turned to stare at him. "Of course you know that."
"Of course."
Harry rolled his eyes and continued to the last door. He turned to Wynter, "Ready?" he asked, bouncing her on his hip, then opened the door.
What he saw brought tears to his eyes. The room was beautiful! The walls were a light beige color and the floor the same hardwood. Right across from the main door on the wall in block wooden letters in chocolate brown was Wynter's name. Underneath her name was a beautifully made crib that had soft curved sides so that it wasn't just square. Inside the crib were soft pink blankets and mobile with stars and moons connected to the side so that it hung down above the crib at the head. On either side of the crib were long windows and on the right wall facing the front of the house was a bay window; each with beige curtains. In between the long window and the bay window in the corner was a rocking chair with a rocking ottoman in chocolate brown with pink cushions. A dresser was against the wall next to the main door on the right and a changing table against the far wall near another door, which turned out to be a bathroom in pink and white. The room was shaped like an 'L' to accommodate the bathroom so the connecting door to their bedroom was in a little indent on the left. On the other side of the main door was a toy box that no doubt had a bunch of toys inside and stepping further into the room he saw to the right of the bay window a tall dollhouse with incredible detail complete with a family of dolls.
"Oh, Tom...It's wonderful..."
"I'm glad you like it," Tom said, slowly letting out the breath he didn't know he had been holding. "I figure when she gets older we can put in a bigger bed in place of the crib and replace the changing table with a full wardrobe," he said gesturing to the items.
Harry nodded, unable to speak. He couldn't believe the length Tom had gone to with this house. He had been expecting a small cottage like the last one, but on the beach, nothing like this. Then again, Tom didn't do small. Harry turned to Wynter and kissed her head, "This is your room, sweet pea," he told her in her ear. "Do you like it?"
Wynter just looked around pointing at everything and babbling. Harry lifted her off his hip and gently lowered her down into the crib and they watched to see what she would do. Wynter looked around at her surroundings in curiosity, eyeing everything, peering through the bars. She curled her fingers into the soft material of the blanket, scrunching it up repeatedly. She then lay herself down on her back and stared up at the mobile; Tom giving it a little spin, and she giggled and made grabby motions at it as if trying to reach for it.
"I think she likes it," Harry said with a smile.
"Good," Tom said and wrapped an arm around him to pull him back against him. "What about you?"
"I love it. I love every inch of it," he shook his head in amazement at everything he had seen, "It's more, so much more than I ever dreamed of...you outdid yourself."
"Maybe," Tom said with a simple shrug, "I wanted you to be comfortable."
"Oh, we will be, you made sure of it."
"You can take out or add anything you want if I missed anything," Tom said, "I don't think I-"
He was cut off as Harry turned around and tugging on the collar of Tom's shirt, pulled him down for a kiss. Tom returned the kiss; deep and slow, with the barest hint of tongue, before Harry drew away. "It's perfect, as you well know," Tom smirked at that. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For..." Harry paused and shrugged. "Everything. For this," he said gesturing around, "for her," he looked down at Wynter who was watching them with her fingers in her mouth. He looked down and gently smoothed. Tom's shirt down. "For not being the monster I thought you were," he finished softly.
"I should thank you," Tom said glancing at Wynter, "also for showing me that I am not the monster I thought I was...at least not all the time."
Harry laughed at that and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. Tom stiffened slightly like he always did, but then relaxed and hugged him back, allowing Harry to burrow his face into his chest.
"You're not getting emotional on me are you?"
"No. Shut up," Harry said, letting his eyes slip closed and soaking up the warmth of Tom's arms; hoping that his simple action could convey the gratitude he felt.
Tom remained quiet for a minute before speaking up. "How long are we doing this?"
"As long as I want. Now, shush. You're ruining the moment."
"We're having a moment?"
"Yes."
Wynter giggled as if to say duh, daddy and he turned his head to look at her. She was watching them and had managed to pull herself up to a sitting position. He smiled at her and she waved her fingers at him; her hand going open close, open, close. He just stayed quiet and enjoyed Harry's closeness.
Harry pulled away after a little while and looked around the room. "Okay, so this place is ours?" he asked re-confirming.
"Yes," Tom replied.
Harry nodded and turned to pick Wynter up out of her crib. He kissed her on the cheek and spoke to her. "Guess what? We are going to be living here from now on, okay? Mommy, Daddy, and you, all together. Would you like that?" Wynter babbled and gurgled at him and Harry smiled and nodded his head. "Yes?" She copied the motion. "You'd like that? I thought so. You have a new room and new toys to play with and a yard to play in. You are going to have so much fun and grow up big and strong. This is home now," he said kissing her forehead as Tom wrapped his arm around him and pulled them both close.
Harry looked up at Tom and smiled. "We are home."