A portkey had transported them from the patio to the front doorstep of a large villa near the sea. Severus waved his wand to open the front door, scooped Tori up into his arms and carried her inside.

“Welcome to my humble house…our house.” He corrected.

Nothing could have prepared her for what was inside. She found it normal for the palacio to be filled with all kinds of expressive antique furniture and decorations, but to see this in her own house was a bit much for her. Her eyes bugged out when he gave her a tour around the house. Each and every room was decorated in a different style. The library was definitely Victorian; the bathroom Roman, the kitchen Art deco, the living room Medieval and the sitting room looked like a scene from the Arabian Nights. The master bedroom had a large iron bed, covered with black satin sheets. One side of the bedroom had a glass sliding door, looking out on the sea. Just outside the room, on a patio, there was a bubble bath. Severus noticed Tori’s look of longing and he chuckled.

“I thought you might appreciate a little comfort.”

She smiled at him. “Right, this house is so back-to-basics I wouldn’t survive without a bubble bath.”

He looked puzzled. “You don’t like it? It’s too much?”

She hugged him. “It’s perfect. I’ve always dreamt of a house like this. It’s a shame we will only be here for a few months each year.”

“Yes, but as a compensation, we will extend the house with one room every year, the prospect of decorating it can give you something to dream about when we’re at Hogwarts.”

“Mmm, I look forward to it. I guess the room for the baby will be at the top of the list.”

He stiffened. “I didn’t think of that, there are no facilities for a baby here!” he seemed to panic a little.

“Relax Severus, the baby is not due until July, which is 7 months away, so I’m sure we’ll come up with something.”

“Sure, but what was I thinking? A house near the cliffs? I’ll have to put some charms up to prevent our child from wandering off.”

She hadn’t quite thought about that. Come to think of it…the location of the house was quite spectacular, being on top of a cliff, but definitely not suited for children.

However, plans for the future could wait. It was after all their wedding night and Tori was hoping he had other things on his mind; she sure did!

She got out of her dress, opened the sliding doors, stepped into the bubble bath and gave him a seductive smile.

“I think this house needs to be inaugurated. Shall we begin with the bubble bath?”

By the next morning, they had covered all of the rooms and finally fell asleep in the Arabian-style sitting room. They spent two days and nights in heaven, never feeling the need to leave the house. By the time they had to go back, Tori had quite a few wonderful memories of the place and the sheer thought of the bubble bath made her blush.