George kept his promise. He escorted Harry to Ardila's location, though three days afterwards. (Harry, on George's advice and instructions, had perfected the very basic skills required in Hogwarts' first year standard. It was one happy delay, though.) The blue stone once more became the means of transportation, when Harry activated it with water in one of George's mugs.
And now, after the familiar seamless teleportation, they were standing before the closed gates of what looked like a park, deposited in between them and a hedge-line. "Are you sure this is the place?" Harry could not help asking. George chuckled but said nothing. The man instead pressed Harry's palm alongside his own flush against the smooth plank of the gates. And before Harry could remark on that, the double doors swung inward.
Trees greeted Harry's immediate view, and the sounds of water assaulted his ears. For a moment, he could only gawk. His eyes were only willing to cooperate again when Ardila strolled into view, giving him and George a nod. "Forest-home, water-home," she said to Harry, as if it explained everything quite sensibly.
Harry turned to his side, wanting to ask for clarification to George. But the man was nowhere to be seen, and he was left standing stupidly on the gates of a weird home with a no-less weird person. (He dared not call Ardila looney.)
He had no choice but to obey when the girl beckoned him to follow her. The gate doors clicked shut behind him on their own, and it was with all his might that he did not turn around, pounding at them to open. Ardila was already several yards ahead, so he had to run to catch up. (He convinced himself that it was his reason for running, anyway.)
A small, simple, comfortable-looking house peeked from among the foliage, surrounded by what looked like a ring of water mote. By then, Harry was already confused by the labyrinth of paths they were traversing, and wished only to rest awhile under the shade of one of the numerous trees. They did not veer towards that homely home, though. Ardila instead went to the opposite direction, forcing him to drag himself after her.
They ended up sitting cross-legged facing each other on a carpet of thick, springy grass, in what Harry thought a perfect imitation of a forest clearing. Then, without any preamble, Ardila said, "Meditate, and I'll tell you something you ought to know." And before Harry could voice his confusion, she instructed him to take deep breaths and focus on the peace of their surroundings.
On obeying the instruction, Harry became aware of the birds twittering all over the trees, the squirrels chattering noisily nearer ground, and the rustling of the foliage itself tempered by Ardila's slow breathing. Taking some more deep breaths, all other thoughts were swept away from his mind. He began to be aware of his own body, his own being.
And something warm and powerful drenched his every cell.