Chapter 14 Her Eden
“I want to show you something,” she said, with a sudden burst of excitement in her voice. “I want to bring you somewhere, as a friend. I’m sure you’ll like it, if that’s okay with you?”
“Okay, as a friend,” Harry heard himself say awkwardly as he finally released her from his grips. He retrieved his broken glasses and slowly walked towards the door, but she pulled him back by the arm.
“No, not there,” she grinned. “Just take my hand, and close your eyes.”
Harry wasn’t sure what this was about but he closed his eyes and gently held her hand. In his mind, he was wondering whether it was appropriate to hold a friend’s hand the way he held hers. She guided him to the mirror he was just pinned against. For the next few seconds he felt very light and airy as he felt winds were gently circulating around him.
“Aria, what’s going on?” he asked nervously, still holding her hand.
“We’re here,” Aria said gently.
“Uh? What?” Harry asked, his eyes still closed. He could hear sounds of animals around him: dogs parking, birds singing, and whistling of the leaves. His face felt warm as if the sun was shining on him. It was obvious they were no longer in the empty classroom.
“Open your eyes, Harry!”
Harry found himself standing beside Aria in a very beautiful outdoor environment, surrounded by trees, flowers, butterflies, and bright sunlight illuminating the sunset horizons. His vision was blurred without his glasses but he could make out the squirrels, rabbits, and puppies running about. Songbirds were perched everywhere around him. A pond filled with swans was nearby. Beside it stood a magnificent two-storied house surrounded by butterflies fluttering all around it. Harry could feel the gentle breeze and hear sounds of water flowing like a waterfall echoing from afar. When he turned around, he could see a wall of glass, and behind the glass was the empty classroom that they were just in.
“Where are we?” Harry asked shockingly, with a look of amazement on his face.
“This is my world,” she smiled shyly. “It’s not much but it’s all I have.”
“Your what?” he asked as he bent down to touch the grass and leaves, finally letting go of her hand. A butterfly landed on his head. He could not remember seeing such a beautiful place.
“I created this universe with my telepathic powers. It is like people using their imaginations to create and immerse themselves in their ideal worlds when they feel down or they want to escape from their reality,” she said as she gently picked up a puppy that was chasing a butterfly.
“But for me, I am able to make my imaginations very real and concrete. The trees, house, pond, and all these cute animals that Hagrid gave me… these are everything that I’ve ever wanted.”
“You mean... I’m in your imaginary world?”
She nodded, “Come inside the house. We’ll change and I’ll show you the place.”
She kissed the puppy and put it back down on the ground.
“This is so real! I’m really impressed! Everything is absolutely gorgeous!” Harry said excitedly.
She held his hand and guided him towards the house.
“Here’s your jacket,” she said as she retrieved it from the hammock and handed it to him.
“Thanks,” Harry placed his torn school robes on the hammock and put the jacket on. He then remembered he had put her handkerchief in the pocket.
“Aria, thanks for the handkerchief the other day,” he said awkwardly, pulling it out and handing it to her.
“Harry, forget the handkerchief. Keep it if you want,” she grinned as she held his hand again and guided him inside the house.
“Feel free to look around, Harry. I’ll go upstairs and change,” Aria hurried upstairs.
The house could not be more authentic, complete with a kitchen, bathroom, and living room, with all the furnishings. The living room had sofas, bookshelves, tables, vases, and a fireplace. There were portraits and windows all over the wooden walls. Butterflies were flying in and out through the windows. There was a record player on a working desk. In Harry’s mind, he kept wondering how this world was possible and how he could be in someone’s imaginary world, and yet everything felt so real.
“Harry, are you hungry? I’ll make you something to eat,” she marched downstairs and went to the kitchen.
Aria was wearing her casual clothes and she was barefoot; Harry was now the taller one. She cleaned up her face and hair, looking radiant and graceful once again. He followed her to the kitchen.
“Just a little. Aria, you can’t create the food with your telepathic powers?” he joked.
“Well, I can. But I won’t. Unless you want to eat imaginary food and feel hungry all night,” she smirked. “Besides, I want you to try my cooking skills. I’ve never had a guest before.”
“Are there other people here?” he asked.
She didn’t reply and her smile fainted slightly. She proceeded to pour some beer into a mug and gave it to him.
“These are definitely better than the kind they serve at The Three Broomsticks. Here, try some,” she said to him. “Harry, why don’t you wait in the living room? I’ll make dinner.”
Harry went to the living room and sat on the sofa, admiring the delicate features of the house as a sense of tranquility swept over him. He never remembered feeling this peaceful in a home before, not once at his Uncle’s and definitely not at the Burrow. The sounds of pots and pans were in harmony with Aria’s singing in the kitchen, together with the sounds of someone whistling. He put his mug on the coffee table, lied down on the sofa and admired the ceiling. Even though he wasn’t wearing his glasses, he could clearly make out the butterflies dancing happily all over the house. He quickly smiled when he discovered that he was the one whistling to Aria’s happy tunes. The feeling of calmness and peace continued to blanket warmly around him; it was as if he was a different person. For once, he no longer envisioned the horrific images of his past that would haunt him every time he stared at the ceiling. All he saw now was a ceiling filled with butterflies and free of burdens. Slowly, his eyelids began to feel heavy. Lying motionless on the sofa, he winked when he noticed a butterfly landed on his eye. He fell asleep.
**************************
“Hagrid, it’s Ginny. Are you there?” she knocked on his door.
Hagrid opened his door, a big smile appeared on his face, “Ginny, what a pleasant surprise. You haven’t visited me in a while. Where are the others? Shouldn’t you be having dinner back at the castle right now? Please come in. I’ll make some tea.”
“That’s okay. Hagrid, where’s Harry?” she asked hopefully, trying to peer inside his cabin to check if Harry was inside.
“I haven’t seen him all day. In fact, other than during my lessons, I haven’t talked to him in quite a while. I figure he must be spending all his time with you. But that’s okay. You two should spend more time together, you lovebirds. After all, the two of you are in different lessons, so you don’t get to speak to each other until the school day ends… Ginny, are you listening?”
“Uh? Yes,” she replied, trying to hide the disappointment etched on her face.
“Anyway, did you hear about what happened to Professor Hannibal and the hate mail she’s getting? Your brother is thinking of starting a competition between her and me to see who gets more hate mail by Christmas and have the students place bets on us. Ron is trying to put a light spin on all this foolishness. I personally don’t mind but I don’t know if Aria’s gonna find this to be amusing. Who do you think is going to win? Ginny, Ginny, what’s wrong? Are you listening?”
“Hagrid, I have to go. I’ll see you in class,” she sighed and marched tiredly to the castle in frustration.
When I See Only You by gossipweaver
Chapter Notes: As a friend…as a friend… How much longer can she keep being in denial?