Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. None of it. I own Tara. That' it!

The Garden of Controversy

The first trip to Hogsmead was coming up. Tara always loved going with her friends. She and Susan always went shopping on the first trip to Hogmeade. Since Susan and she were the same size, it made shopping even more fun between the two of them!

"So Tara, where are we going to go first when we get to Hogsmeade?" said Susan as she brushed her vibrant red locks of hair.

"Well I was thinking 'Marvelous Witch Wear.' I hear they have the most beautiful dresses, and I don't have anything formal at all!"
"Now why would we need anything formal?" Susan asked with a curious expression on her face. She set her brush down and walked over to Tara.

"I don't know. I just feel that with Harry and mine's one-year anniversary coming up near Christmas, I might need something nice. He keeps talking about spending time with me over the Holidays." she said, winking at Susan.

"Oh! How romantic Tara!" Susan exclaimed. She squealed and gave Tara a hug. She had always been so supportive of her and Harry. They began to discuss what dresses they'd love to wear.

They had finished dressing when a 1st year Hufflepuff walked into their dorm nervously.

"Uhh. Tara? Uhh."

"Yes I'm Tara? What is it?"

"Cedric w-wanted me to t-t-tell you that he wants y-you to hurry up," and with that she ran back through the open door and down the staircase. Tara thought of how Cedric has received a detention for walking into Tara's dorm room to get her because they were going to be late. Ever since then he asked people to go up and tell her to hurry up, if she was that late. He was still trying to get her into a habit of being early, but so far it wasn't working. She began to laugh to herself.

"Well Susan, I better go. You know how he gets!" she said, smiling innocently.

"I'm surprised he still waits for you every morning. It really is a miracle!" she said as Tara walked out the door. The bright lights from the stained glass window seemed to dance on the floor outside the dormitory. She loved watching the blues chase the greens, as if they were in a never-ending battle of tag. She lightly touched the staircase. She loved the intricate designs engraved in the marble. The feel of the dips and rivets underneath her fingers and she walked down the steps was always a comfort to Tara.

"Finally! I thought we'd miss breakfast!" he said with an annoyed look on his face.

"You know you can always leave. No one makes you wait for me. In fact, why do you wait for me Ced?"

"Because it's what friends do for each other. I'd like to think you'd do the same for me."

He always felt bad not telling her the real reason. He wanted to tell her that he waited because he loved seeing her walk down the staircase with the sun from the stained glass window shining around her head as though she were an angel. He loved watching her, oh so subtly, hop off the bottom step, and seeing the smile she had on after she did it. But she was so happy with Harry; it wasn't worth it to him.

They began walking out into the hallway towards the Great Hall. Tara was talking about her annual shopping trip with Susan and what dress she thought she might get.

"Tara, as much as I care what 'formal dress neckline' looks best on you, I think we need to study for the Potions quiz. It is today."

"RIGHT! Then lets get a seat in the Great Hall and study!"

They walked to the Great Hall, speeding up occasionally to avoid the groups of girls who loved to swoon over Cedric in the halls.

"Ernie! Just the bloke I wanted to see!" Cedric said with his million-dollar smile. "Since you're very good at Potions I know that you'd be more than willing to help Tara and I study, right?"

"What? Says who?" Ernie said with a bewildered look on his face.

"US!" Tara and Cedric said together before taking Ernie by the arm and leading him towards the Great Hall.

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"Harry where are you taking me?" Tara said. Harry's warm hands covered her eyes. He had said the he had a surprise for her, and asked if she was to meet him outside the Gryffindor dormitory after dinner. So she did as she was asked.

"You'll see." There it was again: That mysterious tone. Tara loved when she heard that in his voice.

They stopped walking and Tara knew where she was. How could she not? She came her at least once a week with Cedric because she loved it that much. They were in the gardens.

"Harry! This is lovely!" she looked at the blanket and papers on the ground. They looked like maps of some sort.

"The stars. I know how much you love them. I thought I'd show them to you.

She hugged Harry and lay down on the blanket. The sun was still setting but the moon was out. She loved nights like these. They always fascinated her, ever since she was a little girl.

"Tara, look, it's the little dipper. And the North Star over there," he pointed above them and she saw the beautiful pictures in the sky. She couldn't believe Harry had done this for her. She knew that he had been to Quidditch practice only an hour prior, but he still had enough energy to do this for her. She loved that about him. Always caring about those close to him.

She looked around at the beautiful flowers. The green of the leaves and stems was so lush it looked almost unnatural. The colors of the petals: the vibrant pink, blues, yellows; they were mesmerizing in the twilight. She could see the butterflies and dragonflies frolicking in the wind. She smelled the aroma of fresh flowers. It was, in Tara's opinion, pure bliss.

She relaxed into Harry's chest and could feel the rhythm of his breathing versus hers. His was slow and relaxed and in time, so was hers.

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Cedric walked down the corridor, down the steps and through the double doors onto the grounds. He stopped and smelt the air. Fresh, crisp. He loved the smell. He began walking again and Hagrid's hut came into view. A puff of smoke followed came out of the chimney, followed by a column of smoke. The lights in the hut flickered and he saw Hagrid bustling around inside his hut, as if trying to find something.

He walked for a few more minutes and came up on the gardens. He often did his studies with Tara in the gardens. She loved the flowers and the smells as much as he did. They were soothing. He walked near them and took in the beauty of the scene. Just as he was doing so he saw Harry and Tara walking towards the gardens. Harry seemed to be covering Tara's eyes. Cedric looked at he ground in the clearing and saw a blanket with astronomy maps on the ground. It made him sick.

'That was our special place!' he thought furiously. He walked towards the Quidditch pitch and went in to the locker rooms. He had left his History of Magic book in there after practice yesterday. He went to his locker and tapped his lock 3 times. It opened and he grabbed his book. He closed the lock and tapped it once more, locking it again. He walked out of the locker rooms briskly. It turned into a jog, which then, out of aggression, turned into a run.

He couldn't believe what he had seen. She was in their place with Harry! He stopped dead in his tracks at the sound he heard.

'I shouldn't go back. It's none of my business' he thought. But before he could think another thought, his feet were carrying him towards the garden.

He looked at the couple on the blanket. At that moment he felt like his heart was being ripped in half.

He knew what Tara was feeling. She had told him what she felt whenever her and Harry kissed. She felt like the world melted away. She forgot about everything, everyone for those moments and was caught up in the moment. And it was happening in her favorite place. Their place.

He sprinted away from the garden. Rage pulsing through his veins. He couldn't believe it. He ran all the way to his dormitory despite Nearly Headless Nick telling him to 'slow down or you'll injure someone!' He went into his dormitory and put on his nightclothes. He crawled into bed and closed the bed curtains. He did not feel like talking to anyone. He stared at the ceiling for some time, just thinking.

'Just forget about it Ced. You can't do anything about it'

But he could. He could, he just wouldn't. Not yet anyway…

AN: I NEED A BETA! Ok! And the plot thinckens! I'll try to post at least once a week now. I hope you liked it!