A Journey so Far - A Harry Potter Fanfic

8. Garden of Eden

As they entered November the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy grey and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows, defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch pitch, bundled up in a long mole-skin overcoat, rabbit-fur gloves and enormous beaverskin boots.

The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Ellie would be playing in her first match: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won they would move up into second place in the house championships.

The Gryffindor Commonroom was very noisy the evening before the match. Ellie, Hermione and Jamie sat next to a window checking through their charms essays once more. Since they were the top three in every class it was unlikely they weren't going to get good marks, but they had nothing else to do and Ellie was restless. She glanced down at her wand on the table and read again the words inscribed on it - "To the last, whom ever she may be." She had been learning how to speak Theriantrian in her lessons with Dumbledore, and she suddenly remembered the book she had bought in Diagon Alley. She told Hermione and Jamie that she was going to bed so as to get enough sleep for the match and she walked up to the dorm. She pulled her trunk from under her bed and took out the large book. Her fingers traced the gold title engraved on the green cover and she open the book. She turned to the first page with writing on and read:

"The book you hold is more than meets the eye. It will teach you and train you. It can sense the power of the one who reads it and will change its words accordingly.

Good luck Little Owl."

Ellie stared. How did it know her name? Dumbledore had taught her not to trust something if she couldn't see where it kept its brain but this...? It had told her that it wasn't what met the eye so she turned the page to continue reading, but more cautiously now.

The next page was a contents page. She glanced down it and saw chapters on Morphing, Wandless Magic, special spells that were unique to Theriantrists, Familiars, Magical Transport, Healing and much more. The chapter on Familiars puzzled her, as she though that only cackling witches with green skin and warts in muggle stories had them, but she turned to the page listed to find out more. She spent the rest of the evening engrossed in the book. She learnt that Theriantrists can use animals such as owls, phoenixes, cats or even dragons to send messages between each other without having to write anything, and that the Familiar will only reveal the message to the intended recipient, no one else. She learnt that she can learn spells to change the weather, create underground lakes and caves and produce food out of nowhere. She learnt that she would be able to do a form of untraceable apparition, that she could heal and calm with her hands, and that she could morph midair. She fell asleep with her head resting on the book before any of the other girls had even entered the room.

She woke with a start. She fumbled around in the dark for her watch which told her that the time was 12:00 exactly. She frowned, why was she awake? It was only then that she noticed the book - it was glowing. She reached out and opened it on the central page of the book and saw a picture of the most beautiful place she had ever seen. It had lush green grass and all sorts of different trees. There was a wet sandy beach leading down to the bluest ocean she had ever seen and she could see dolphins playing in the shallows. In the distance, right on the edge of the picture, she could see snow capped mountains, and flying around were beautiful birds of all sorts, including Phoenixes. She gasped at how beautiful it was and reached out to touch the picture which was glowing. But she didn't touch it - her hand went straight through, into the picture. She gasped again and leant her head forward towards the book. That two went through the page and into the paradise that she thought had only been painted. She breathed the air which was filled with heavenly scents and as she leant down further she toppled right into the book.