The garden wasn’t part of Hogwarts. It was its own piece of space like a lonely island isolated by trees and water. It was rare to find the garden; it didn’t always appear, as it only came when it was most needed. However it was always the same when it appeared, it didn’t change according to who sort it out - like the room or requirement did. It offered peace of mind and a sense of clarity for all those who entered. It showed things how they had been and how they were, allowing people to find their way when they were lost.
Hermione and Draco stood in the garden side by side, so close they were almost touching. The sun was starting to set and the view before them was breathtaking. It was like a scene from a rainforest or tropical garden. It soothed all who laid eyes upon it, like a lullaby sung by a Mother to a child.
It was so clear now it was a wonder they hadn’t seen it before. The sense of completion, the absolutely perfectly built buildings that were different from what they remembered. The familiar faces they passed - always wondering if they were really seeing them or merely imaging them. The looks of pity on those faces were now imprinted on their minds, a constant reminder of where they were.
They never learnt how it had happened, if you didn’t remember you weren’t told. It seemed like a blessing but also acted as a curse, as they were left wondering what had happened. Their minds were now full of regret and guilt. Guilt because they knew they couldn’t return and that was the hardest thing to cope with.
They now realized why time seemed irrelevant. There was no time here; the place was full of emptiness like a void. Time no longer mattered, not in a place like this. Everything here was to help you finish things up; everything had a reason here, there were no more unanswered questions once you’d learnt the truth. This was the page on which you stared anew. The choices of the past lay buried as you forged a new image for yourself, past deeds or mistakes bore no mark here.
Hermione and Draco were no longer Granger or Malfoy, the words they used to spar forgotten. They’d shed those childhood tendencies once the truth had been revealed. They stood and said nothing; there was no good feeling between them. She would always be a Mudblood and he would always be a pureblood git. There was no love or friendship; it was merely Hermione and Draco standing together trying to feel some sort of connection.
They hated each other yet they tightly held hands because they knew it was the last thing they had left. This was the last step for them, the final hurdle. After this lay uncharted waters, a place the two enemies would face together.
As they sat high within the clouds, in a garden, watching the sun set the truth hit them at last. This was death; this was all that was left…
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