Harry Potter and the Garden of Eden

"Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Genesis 2:8-9 NIV

"And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." Genesis 2:16-17 NIV

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." Genesis 3:6 NIV

"After [God] drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." Genesis 3:24 NIV

Harry Potter and the Garden of Eden

Prologue

700 A.D.

November 15

I, John, am the scribe of this exploratory party, and this is my story.

In the weeks after my lord decided to embark upon this journey, we made preparations. With the simplest clues to the location of our prize, we made the journey by boat from Rome.

The water was treacherous, as if it knew our destination, and strived to keep us from reaching our goal.

We tried to dissuade my lord from coming, but whether it was superstition, or simply skepticism, I do not know. Perhaps the idea of immortality did not appeal to us.

Our lord wanted to search for the Garden of Eden, and the Tree of Life.

After thirty days on the sea, we finally arrived in Caesarea. After a brief stay of only two days, we made the forty mile trek towards the Jordan River.

After crossing the Jordan, we turned north and headed into the land of Mesopotamia, the rumored location of our prize.

Tomorrow, we begin our search in earnest.

November 22

After searching for six days, we are no closer to our goal. Our journey is becoming longer than we thought. The men are tired. The party is running out of food. We are desolate.

Our Lord promises us that when we reach the Garden, our stomachs will be filled and our thirst satisfied. The men are fast losing morale in this barren desert.

I hope this garden is worth all this.

December 1

I am the only survivor of my party.

We arrived in this ancient land, and journeyed to the place where we though the Garden to be.

All our doubts were wiped away, as the most magnificent garden came into view. Our lord took ten soldiers and headed inside.

We never saw them again.

But we guessed what happened, when three days later we followed our lord's trail. A bright light enveloped us all.

When I came to, the men around me were dead, and the weirdest creature I have ever seen was in front of me.

It had four faces and four wings, with the form of human hands under its wings. The first face was the face of a cherub and the second that of a man, the third the face of a lion and the fourth the face of an eagle. It carried a flaming sword.

It did not move, but I heard words ringing in my head.

"You alone are worthy; you alone may enter the Garden. But you may also turn back, and not accept this gift we have given you. Choose wisely."

I fled.

I arrived in Jerusalem some time later. No one has believed my story. I hope to soon return to Rome, and leave this nightmare behind me.

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Sometime during Sixth year...

"What a bunch of dung," Hermione said, while slamming the book closed. The trio was in front of the common room fire. Harry and Ron were writing a potions essay, and Hermione was doing a bit of 'extra reading'.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"Some loony person who believes he saw the Garden of Eden. Everyone knows that's a myth. Worthy indeed," she replied.

"What is the Garden of Eden?" Harry asked.

"It's supposed to be the first home of man, after the Hebrew God created him. Apparently, it holds the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Besides, it's a myth. How would a garden be able to hide in this day and age?"

"I suppose you're right," Ron stated.

"I've had enough of this essay for one night. I'm going to bed," Harry said, standing and putting his stuff away.

"I hear you," Ron said, following his lead.

"Well fine then!" Hermione called after them, "Don't expect me to help when you've put it off till the last minute!"