Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
After Harry had finished eating his fill, Tom stood.
"I think it's high time I take care of this bathroom of yours." He took off the blazer he was wearing and rolled his sleeves up before pulling out his wand and heading towards the door on the opposite side of the bed that the door to his bedroom was on. "Would you like to watch and pick what goes where or would you rather be surprised?"
"You mean, I have a choice?" Tom chuckled, and motioned for Harry to join him.
"Of course you have a choice. Come, something tells me you will enjoy seeing this." Harry came and stood in the bathroom with him, his eyes widening when he saw how large the room was. "Now, first thing's first. The floor." He transformed the floor from light pine wood to a darker slate limestone and then to a smooth cobblestone. "Do you have a preference? I can always change the color, but I'd like to know what material you like best."
"The cobblestone? I like stone." His voice was quiet and unsure.
"Cobblestone it is. Do you want lighter or darker?" Harry shrugged, so he changed the stones from a light eggshell color all the way down to almost black.
"I sort of liked the greyish blue, the dark one." Tom changed the floor back to the dark slate cobblestone. "Yeah, but maybe less grey? Like more of...more of the color of your shirt I suppose." His cheeks flushed a light pink and Tom smiled to himself as he adjusted the colors of the cobblestones to sapphire blue. Some of the stones he adjusted to be lighter and darker for some contrast as an afterthought.
The walls came next, and they settled on a light neutral grey. To the left of the door, Tom added a long vanity with a waterfall sink in the middle. He colored the cabinets a medium to dark grey with silver filigree to match all the doors. The faucet and counter were both black although the counter had silver veins running through it. A toilet was put behind a privacy wall, the same black as the sink fixtures.
"Shower or tub next Harry?"
"Shower I suppose. Maybe along the back wall? I'd rather have the tub closer to the door." Tom nodded, creating a large walk-in shower along the back wall. The sides were all glass and completely crystal clear so they could see the inside.
It was spacious, the floor changing to a light grey with silver and black veins. The walls that it was butted up against had changed to a sea of long thin rectangles of silver, black and greys. There was a large bench on the back wall, large enough that if he wanted Harry could just lay down and rest. There were several cut-outs lined with all silver tiles for Harry to put hygienic products. The whole thing was complete once the entire roof of the shower was made into several rainfall shower heads.
"You'll be able to turn them on all at once or you can control which ones stay off. You can even adjust the temperature. I've done something similar with my bathroom and let me tell you, a normal shower just won't cut it any longer."
"But isn't it a little...excessive?"
"Harry, if you feel that it is still too much later on then I can change it for you. But I'm confident you'll want to leave it as is. Now for the tub." Tom left no room for argument, creating a tub that lined up with the ground. A slope was added, allowing the tub to get almost five feet deep. Along the sides he added large benches that would adjust to the bather's height to prevent drowning. Several faucets to match the sink were added, one for hot water, one for cold water, another for bubble bath and yet another for bath oils. A large jar of bath salt was placed next to the faucets. The inside of the tub was colored the same as the floor. It would create the illusion of bathing in the night sky once the tub was filled.
Large plush rugs designed to absorb water were placed near the tub and shower and towels the same color as the walls were added to cutouts of the wall between the two. He added a warming charm to ensure that the towels would always be warm for Harry. There was, after all, nothing better than a warm towel after a long soak.
After a moment of thought, he changed the outdated light to a sapphire chandelier. It sparkled and shone proudly, casting the entire bathroom in an otherworldly glow. He heard a small gasp from next to him.
Harry's face was lit up with wonder. He couldn't help but ask himself how long it had been for Harry to see magic like this. Or even if he had seen magic being used in such a way before.
"Happy birthday Harry." Harry looked up at him. Ah, now he knew what it was. Harry's eyes were practically overflowing with hope.
"Thank you." The words held an immense amount of gratitude.
"It's my pleasure. But for now, tell me why it is that you're reading first years books rather than your newer ones." He steered Harry to the bedroom, plopping him down in his chair and having their plate refilled with fruit.
Harry obediently plopped a grape in his mouth. "Well, I never really got the chance to study. You know why during the summer. During school, I was constantly being thrown into dangerous situations and worrying about what was going to happen to me. Everyone around me was putting so much pressure on me the first year telling me I was bound to beat you that I had a hard time concentrating on anything. Then there was always some big catastrophe that I had to investigate because Dumbledore wasn't stopping the issues so I felt like I had to. Didn't help that last year I needed to spend all my free time trying to figure out useless clues in order to survive a bloody game. I was never taught the theory behind magic and I thought that maybe since I had my books again I could begin to understand how magic works and how I can get a better hold on it-" Tom cut him off at this.
"A better hold on it? You mean you're still experiencing accidental magic?" Harry nodded, grabbing another grape. "Harry, accidental magic is supposed to stop around the age of eight or nine except in extreme circumstances. I think, once your magic realizes there's no harm for you here, that it'll stop happening. But that's besides the point. If you would like, I can teach you what you need to know about the theory behind magic." Harry nodded eagerly.
For once, magical theory made sense! The way Tom explained it was much more practical than how the books presented it and Harry was finding it much easier to understand. Once he realized that he could reach out to his magical core (and that he had a magical core for that matter) suddenly a lot of things that he found difficult made much more sense. Tom answered all of his questions, and even joined him in his mind to help guide him to where his core was and how to interact with it.
When he came back out of his mind, his cheeks were flushed with excitement, the wonder of magic hitting him full-on like it had when he had first seen Hogwarts. Tom was smiling at him, no doubt enjoying seeing someone experience the wonder of magic so strongly. He smiled back tentatively.
"What is the one subject at Hogwarts that has given you the most trouble?"
"Potions." Harry's answer was immediate, with no hesitation. "I don't count divination and astrology is difficult for me to follow but I understand the theory kind of. Potions was always the one thing that was out of my reach completely." Tom nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Then I shall teach you potions as you seem eager to learn. It's obvious that Severus has let his ego and image get in the way of teaching students properly. We shall start on that tomorrow. For now, it is late. Rest for now Harry, we will have a busy day tomorrow. I'm having a tailor coming tomorrow afternoon to fit you for new robes and muggle attire and you will be learning the art of potion making."
Harry nodded, his eyes glancing at the bed with caution.
"I will not come in unless you are unable to answer me. As I've mentioned, my room is on the other side of that wall. Is there anything I can get you to make you more comfortable?"
"It's just so big…"
"Well, I'm not about to shrink it down. But amongst the pillows are a few full-body ones you can surround yourself with. I believe that will help you overcome the idea that your bed is an actual bed now." Tom stood and left, shutting the door softly behind him.
Harry undressed slowly, the cloth of his clothes scraping against his skin uncomfortably. Once the shirt hit the floor, it vanished. He was happy to see it go and hoped it would not be returning.
He filled his tub with hot water, bubbles, bath oil and bath salts. It was a light blue sea of foam that smelled of vanilla, strawberries and cinnamon. Once he walked into it, his muscles started to relax. It had been so long since he had bathed last that he had almost forgotten what it was like to be clean.
He grabbed the bar of soap that had appeared next to the tub and ran the bar over every spot of his body. As he scrubbed, he thought about the days events. He had been rescued by one of the most dangerous wizards alive and was now soaking in a tub that was made specifically for him. Flashes of nasty ulterior motives flew through his mind but he pushed them all to the side. After all, if Tom wanted him for physical reasons then he wouldn't have been given a room or a bathroom. He wouldn't have been given his wand back or been taught about the theory of magic. He wouldn't be learning about potions the next day.
Harry would be the last to admit it, but he was curious about potions. There was just something about how different things would react together to create a potion that could, quite literally, save you from the brink of death. It almost reminded him of cooking, except he didn't have the foggiest idea how potions ingredients worked. It was always last on his list as the professor for potions quite clearly hated him and seemed to take pleasure in telling students they messed up but not why they had messed up. He would just have to see if there was anything to his interest with potions tomorrow.
After awhile, his skin started complaining about how many times he had washed himself. Upon spotting the shampoo that had also appeared, he lathered up his head and washed his hair several times before all the dried blood and semen finally came out.
When he finally got out of the tub, his skin was wrinkled and cleaner than it had been in weeks. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he let his gaze wander.
His ribs were far too prominent to be healthy, although it wasn't as bad as it had been in years past. His arms were entirely too skinny, although his elbows weren't sticking out as much as they did when he made it back to school last year. His legs were thin, but didn't look sickly. He had thicker thighs due to all the quidditch, which helped his legs look healthier than the rest of him. Old scars glittered in the light of the chandelier, while new cuts threatened to mar the rest of his skin. His back was littered with old and new marks, most of which spelled out horrid things. A tear slid down his cheek before he turned to get dressed in the pajamas that appeared.
There was a note lying atop them, written in the same handwriting as the responses from his journal.
These are the softest pajamas I could find in my wardrobe. They shouldn't irritate your skin while it heals, although they'll likely be too big. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask.
He smiled as he ran his fingers over the fabric. The pale green silk was so fine, it almost slithered out of his fingers. He dressed, and pulled down the duvet on his bed. There were two large body pillows under the covers, which he lined up on either side of where he would sleep. Once the journal was on the nightstand closest to him, he climbed in and started to write.
Thank you for the pajamas. You're right, they don't hurt at all but they are too large for me right now. I enjoy the color, although I didn't peg you to be one for pastels.
Although I'm glad to hear they're to your liking, I resent the comment about pastels. They are spring green. That's entirely different than pastel.