Khanna's Tree Farm
Khanna's Tree Farm
It was a pleasant walk to the Khanna's tree farm with Barnaby. And surprisingly quick. In about fifteen minutes we could see a massive log cabin up ahead. Only it wasn't a typical cabin, it was actually a very large house with at least three floors, and a very grand looking entrance.
As we approached it Mrs Khanna came out to greet us. She was a small, dark haired woman. With Rowans exact eyes, behind Rowans exact glasses. A lump formed in my throat and I struggled to get any words out.
I had met her briefly before but either I hadn't noticed properly then or had forgotten just how much of her genetics Rowan had inherited.
Thankfully Barnaby stepped forward, extending his hand and said, "Mrs Khanna, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Barnaby Lee and this is Samhain Strixx, we're friends of Rowans from Hogwarts."
Mrs Khanna's smile seemed to tremble for a second at the mention of Rowans name, but she recovered gracefully, taking Barnaby's hand warmly in both of hers before turning to me and saying, "Samhain, dear Samhain, of course I remember you. Rowans very best friend. But you've changed your hair? And Mr Lee I've heard all about you as well. Please, come inside, I'll put the kettle on and fetch my husband, he will be so pleased that you've come."
I tried not to let her comment about my hair bother me, she didn't know that the change wasn't intentional and was a reaction, or so Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey had hypothesized, to the trauma and stress I had endured over the last year. Going from a dark chestnut brown to snow white wasn't completely unheard of in the wizarding world, but it wasn't a common occurence either. Especially for a seventeen year old witch, unless you were a Metamorphmagus like Tonks who could alter her appearance simply by thinking about it.
I tried to put it out of my mind as we followed Mrs Khanna through a long entranceway, down a hallway and into a brightly lit, cheerful kitchen.
The house was meticulously clean and orderly, and absolutely everything was made out of wood. Wood floors, wood walls, wood counters, wood table, wood chairs, even an old fashioned carved wood draining rack sat next to the sink.
Mrs Khanna bade us sit down at the table, set a shiny copper kettle on top of a large wood burning stove and excused herself to tell Mr Khanna they had company.
Barnaby reached across the table to take my hand and said the exact thing I was thinking.
"She looks so much like Rowan, especially the eyes. They could almost be twins."
I just nodded my head, unsure if my voice had fully recovered yet. I didn't want Barnaby to be alarmed or think this was all too much for me. But it kind of was. Sitting in Rowans kitchen for the first time, but without her, seeing a part of Rowans face reflected in her mother, it was extremely difficult. I tried to focus on deep calming breaths as I looked around the kitchen for a distraction.
Something I only noticed after really looking for a minute was that it was a little bit too clean, a little bit too orderly. There were absolutely zero personal touches here, not a single photograph or picture on the walls, no sign that anyone actually lived there, besides the kettle on the stove which had started to whistle.
Mrs Khanna came scurrying back into the kitchen to attend to the kettle, followed by Mr Khanna. A tall, lanky man. A man with Rowans exact nose, just on a slightly larger scale.
Barnaby and I stood up quickly to greet him and this time I forced myself to make my own introduction. "Hi, Mr Khanna. I'm Samhain Strixx, do you remember me? This is my boyfriend, Barnaby Lee. We were both in Slytherin house with.. Rowan." I choked out the last word feebly.
Mr Khanna nodded his head calmly and shook both of our hands. "Yes child, I remember. And Mr Lee it's a pleasure as well. I'm afraid we never had an opportunity to really meet before, It's so good of you both to have come all this way. Please, sit, my wife will bring refreshments."
We sat obediently as Mrs Khanna hurried over to join us, carrying a tray with the kettle, a large plate of homemade scones and four curious looking wooden mugs.
She poured the tea and encouraged us to eat, to Barnaby's delight. And Mr Khanna asked gently, "We are of course delighted to have Rowans friends visit, but is there something we can do for you, a reason you came? I don't suppose you are here to purchase wood for a wand" he chuckled.
I took a quick swallow of my tea, it tasted rather woody, but good. "Yes, sir, we wanted to meet you and talk with you if that's alright. And we brought you some things, of Rowans and from her friends. We thought you should have them."
I pulled the badge and Dumbledore's letter out of my pocket first and handed them to him. Then I fished out the stack of the notes our friends had written that morning and passed them to Mrs Khanna. The kitchen grew silent as they read through everything. I sipped my woody tasting tea quietly and waited, trying not to look as uncomfortable as I felt.
When they had both read everything Mrs Khanna took out a handkerchief and blew her nose. Mr Khanna smiled and thanked us for the letters. "It was so kind of you to do this, reading what the people who knew her well remember her for, it is a priceless gift we will always treasure. You are a true friend of the Khanna family Samhain. And you Barnaby. I am so grateful for what you've given us today. But I believe you should keep your badge. It is clear from Professor Dumbledore's letter that you and Rowan both earned it and he considers both of you worthy of the honour."
I was going to argue that I never deserved to be Head Girl, and if Rowan hadn't died I never would have been considered for it. But I could see that Mr Khanna was going to insist I keep it, so I just nodded as he slid the badge back across the table to me and took it without a word.
Mrs Khanna who seemed to have recovered her composure by that point took my hand again and said, "You've given us so much today. But I wonder, we have all these letters from her friends, and one from Barnaby, but you didn't write one Samhain. Is there no memory of our Rowan you wanted to write down?"
I decided the truth was the only way to go with this and prepared myself to say it in a way they would hopefully understand.
"Mr and Mrs Khanna, I didn't write down a specific memory, because I have thousands. Rowan was my best friend from the day I met her until the day she died. What I want to give you, well, I want to tell you about how she died, and the legacy she left behind. I didn't know if I should or if I could write all that down, but if you're willing to hear it I want to tell you everything about Rowan."
They exchanged a look with each other and nodded for me to go on. I looked at Barnaby, silently pleading for strength, and he gave me everything he had. I knew if I faltered or couldn't go on, he would step in and carry me through it.
That afternoon at the tree farm was the only time I ever told the full and complete story about my friendship with Rowan. Most of our friends knew a lot and I had told Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape as much as I could at the time about what had happened in the Forbidden Forest. But in this cheerful, wood carved kitchen with their quiet patience and Barnaby's loving strength I was able to tell the Khanna's absolutely everything, in perfect detail.
Starting from the moment when I first met Rowan in Diagon Alley up to her last moments on Earth and her heroic sacrifice. I told them her dreams and plans, all about the adventures we'd had and all the trouble we'd gotten ourselves into over the years, and I told them about the Circle of Khanna. Officially recruiting them as members of our secret society founded in their daughters honour.
As the daylight faded into evening I invited them to ask questions about Rowan and they admitted though they loved her more than anything, that they didn't know her as well as I did. And they were very grateful to have the chance to learn more about their only child.
They invited Barnaby and I to stay for dinner that night and we gladly accepted. We didn't leave until quite late, after many hours of sharing stories, laughs and tears, I finally felt like I had done something for Rowan. It wasn't enough, but it was a start, and I had finally started to heal the part of me that had remained broken since her death.
Barnaby and I were both mentally and physically exhausted by the time we Disapparated from the tree farm and made our way to a quiet little bed and breakfast in the small town down the road. We went to bed almost immediately and just held each other through the whole night.