A Journey so Far - A Harry Potter Fanfic

10. Kirja

I had this chapter finished so I thought I would upload it anyway. Please continue doing loads of comments and votes!!

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It was only when they reached the third floor that Jamie admitted he had no idea where Dumbledore's office actually was. Ellie laughed and pulled him up another flight of stairs, along two corridors and past the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw before stopping at the base of a giant eagle - the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Sherbet Lemons" was the current password, and as she said it the eagle began to rise, revealing the steps leading up. They stood on them as they rose higher and Jamie was so transfixed by the intricate detail of the eagle's feathers that Ellie had to pull him off the stairs so they were standing in front of the wooden door that lead to the headmaster's office.

"Where else do the stairs go to?" Jamie asked, noticing that they went higher than this door.

"Dumbledore's living quarters." Ellie replied. "And mine."

She knocked on the door four times and it swung open without anyone even touching it.

Ellie bounded up to Dumbledore, giving him a big hug, but Jamie lingered in the doorway, nervous to enter.

"I don't bite, you know." Chuckled Dumbledore, a glint in his eye, but Jamie still hesitated before entering the room.

Ellie dumped the huge book on Dumbledore's desk and made him sit down. Then she turned to the first page and read the translation of the message inside. Dumbledore was intrigued and questioned her more, but Jamie started examining the intricate, silver instruments that stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke.

Ellie told Dumbledore about everything she had read and learnt, but then she turned to the centre page of the book and beckoned Jamie over. He looked up and walked quickly towards them, keen to find out what Ellie wanted to show him. He and Dumbledore studied the beautiful picture, gasping at the detail and colours used.

Ellie smiled, pleased that they liked it.

"It's my Garden of Eden." She said, enjoying the look of confusion on both faces.

"Every night, at midnight, it opens. I can enter it. I can play, practice magic, relax, anything I want! I found out last night. I fell asleep with my head on it and woke at midnight because it was vibrating and glowing. I opened it to this page and reached my hand out to touch the picture, but it went straight through. I entered the picture and in the middle of this grassy area here," she said, pointing, "there was a stone plinth with the book on. It told me that it was my Garden of Eden and I could do whatever I wanted in it, but that no time would pass in the real world. Apparently every Theriantrist had one, each with their own Garden of Eden that appealed to them - it is custom made, so to speak, for my likes."

She looked at Jamie to check that he was following and up at Dumbledore who asked her to continue.

"I spent about seven hours playing - I morphed and visited the mountains, healed an injured porpoise and spent ages playing underwater with the fish and dolphins. The book told me that everything in there is friendly towards me, and nothing will harm me. If anyone else goes in, though, everything will attack them and they won't be safe, unless I am with them or have written their name in the back of this book - then they will be safe."

She looked up. Jamie was staring, amazed at her, while Dumbledore was looking intrigued.

"Do you think that it is safe?" Ellie asked him, worried that she might lose this extraordinary book.