Witches and Priests

The next morning they were sitting in Matthew's office.

"Since you are a minor and have no relatives, Roy, an official guardian will have to be appointed for you ..."

"Can I choose that person myself?" asked Roy.

"You can't decide it alone," the priest replied. "But generally the authorities take into account the ward's wishes."

"Well, then I want it to be you."

The priest smiled. "I thank you for your trust, it's a great honour for me. Write an informal letter to the office; you might be asked again in person, but most likely they will even refrain from doing so. Priests are welcome guardians for the authorities. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes, Father," Arabella answered for him, "we want to get married."

They had talked about it during the night.

"I know you do," Father Matthew replied with a smile. "When is it supposed to be?"

"Today."

The Father's jaw dropped. "Today?"

Then he grinned. "You can't await it at all, can you?"

Arabella turned pink, but said in a firm voice: "That's not the point. Together with our friends, we are planning an undertaking that is important and necessary, but very dangerous, and very soon. If something happens to one of us, I want to have been more than just his girlfriend."

The priest became earnest. "I see. Well, since you, Arabella, are not a Catholic and not even a Christian, we have to obtain dispensation ..."

"We haven't. You will baptise me!"

For the second time, Matthew was taken aback. Roy grinned. He loved the way Arabella managed her affairs. Since they were a couple, there was hardly anything left of her former shyness and insecurity.

"Arabella, of course I won't deny you baptism if you ask for it, but please bear in mind: The Church is not just any association, and baptism is not a means to an end ..."

"I'm perfectly aware of that," Arabella replied.

"Well, but ... do you know anything about our faith?"

"Oh yes, I do," said Arabella. "I know it's Roy's faith. And I know that it was the faith of Father Patrick who raised this wonderful man. Belief is not knowledge, but trust. You will never be able to prove that your belief is true. But I have all reason to trust that it is something good and, as something untrue cannot be good, it is also true."

"Considering that you're a witch, you are surprisingly unbiased towards the Church."

Arabella grinned. "Let's just say I don't bear grudges."

All three of them laughed.

"Well," said the priest, "it's unusual, but not impossible, to have baptism, first communion and confirmation on the same day. Of course, I would have to limit my catechesis to the bare essentials ..." He sighed. "Actually, it shouldn't be like this, but I understand how urgent the marriage is for you. In this case, let's go the whole hog! The wedding service will take place today at six o'clock. I'm just afraid we don't have any suitable rooms here for your feast, and surely you'd like to celebrate?"

"Sure, but there are rooms enough at Hogwarts, and arranging a feast won't be difficult there either," Roy replied.

"And how many guests are we to expect at the ceremony?"

Roy and Arabella looked at each other.

"The Incorruptibles – four," he said.

"My mother – hopefully she'll come – and my grandparents," Arabella added. "Seven".

"Ginny."

"McGonagall," she added in conclusion. "Nine persons, Father."

"Our chapel is large enough for that," Matthew grinned. "But will all nine of them be able to make the journey by tonight? And can you notify them in time?"

"No problem," Roy now grinned and pulled out his wand.

"Expecto Patronum!"

The Father was quite astonished when a large bear of silvery light leapt out of the wand, received Roy's message to McGonagall, Ginny and the Incorruptibles and immediately disappeared. Arabella sent her she-wolf to her mother and grandparents.

"Astonishing," murmured Father Matthew, "really astonishing."

"Actually, we are not allowed to show you this – for reasons of secrecy," Roy said.

"And why do you still do it?"

"Because no one would believe you. If tomorrow you publicly declare that there is such a thing as magic ..."

"... all the newspapers will say that I am a fossil left from the Middle Ages and a stubborn, backward old fool, and my bishop will be wriggling in talk shows, apologising for my very existence. I understand." Matthew smiled. "All right, I am now going to make some preparations. We'll meet again in an hour for Miss Wolfe's catechesis."

Roy and Arabella walked hand in hand through the abbey graveyard. The graves of Patrick and Roy's mother, just two lots apart, were particularly eye-catching with the two everlasting bouquets of flowers braving the cold January weather. Roy put his arm around Arabella's shoulder.

"Nothing must happen to you; you have to live!" he whispered to her. "I couldn't bear to live without you anymore."

"Do you think I could live without you? Unlike you, I have known for a very long time that we are meant for each other. I was just afraid you might never understand!"

"I basically knew it too; I just didn't want to admit it. Probably this was the reason why I was flirting with Patricia – because she means much less to me: I like her, but I wouldn't have needed her the way I need you."

Around half past five, the guests Apparated one after the other under the astonished gazes of the monks, who of course were unfamiliar with the spectacle of a person appearing out of nowhere. Arabella's mother was the last to arrive, as if to make her protest known once again, but then she pulled herself together and embraced her future son-in-law.

As there was still a little time left before Mass, Father Matthew, as abbot, did not miss the opportunity to show the guests around the small but historic monastery, looking a bit like a proud castle lord. When they were back in front of the chapel, he took McGonagall aside.

"Tell me, Professor," he asked respectfully, "since I usually don't meet witches, may I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Roy told me he would never do Black magic, and I need not be afraid of White magic. I believe him because Father Patrick also vouched for him. Just – what exactly is the difference?"

"Basically," McGonagall explained, "the term 'White Magic' is misleading, only making sense as a counterpart to Black Magic. Magic as such is morally neutral, a human ability that you innately have or don't have, roughly in the same way that you have intelligence, which you can also use for good or misuse for evil. 'Black magic' is a form of magic in which the magician multiplies his power by appealing directly to the forces of evil. A very seductive way to do magic, precisely because you become particularly powerful in the short term, but also a drug that can be addictive. Whoever falls prey to it will sooner or later lose his soul to the Evil.

"Does that happen often?" asked Matthew with a certain shudder.

"Not often," McGonagall put in, "because at Hogwarts we don't teach that kind of magic, only how to defend against it. But yes, it does happen, and unfortunately it has affected some of our best and brightest students who were able to acquire these skills on their own. High talent, combined with an unstable soul is an explosive mixture."

McGonagall saw that the abbot was casting a thoughtful glance at Roy, though, happily cooing with his bride, he seemed anything but unstable.

"You have a good eye for people, Father. Yes, our Mr MacAllister is one who could easily have gone down the wrong path. He is someone who needs a lot of support despite his inner strength. I'm glad he found it."

It wedding ceremony was very touching. Even Arabella's mother was sobbing with her own mother when Roy and Arabella tied the knot and exchanged the rings.

The witches and wizards in their black, scarlet and Slytherin green cloaks – only Arabella's had been conjured snow-white – all of whom had never set foot in a church in their lives, looked picturesque in this setting, but by no means as eccentric as they would have done in any London street.

When Roy and Arabella had said goodbye not only to Matthew but to all twenty-seven monks and the entire wedding party was to Disapparate, Ginny approached them both once more.

"I also want to say goodbye."

"Aren't you joining us?" asked Roy, confused.

Ginny shook her head.

"We shouldn't draw the Ministry's attention to the fact that there is a connection between us. But the Potter family has a gift for you. Albus?" she turned to her son.

Albus pulled a water clock from his cloak.

"The clock," he explained, "is not the gift, of course, I got it from your lab. The gift is what is recorded on it. It's ... well ..." He hummed and hawed, flushing. "Mum, you tell them, I'm embarrassed."

Ginny laughed. "It's okay, at your age you may be embarrassed about something like that, and maybe you should be. So, you need a room for the wedding night, and this is the key to the hiding place we actually had prepared for Hermione."

"To the Chamber of Secrets?" asked Roy, who was the only one Harry had let in on the secret.

"To the former Chamber of Secrets," Ginny corrected him gently, "but which is now a luxury suite – perfect for a wedding night! Albus spoke the opening formula in Parsel on the water clock."

The bride and groom hugged Ginny and Albus.

"Thank you," Roy agreed, "now it's really a perfect wedding!"

Another surprise was waiting for them at Hogwarts. When they realised that they were Apparating to the side room of the Entrance Hall rather than the Incorruptibles' secret room, McGonagall smiled at them:

"I've enabled Apparating on this room so you don't have to walk so far. Your schoolmates don't yet know why dinner has been postponed until half past seven and will be a feast. I have taken the liberty of not only hosting a celebration for you, but to have the whole school join. Please give me two minutes so that I can announce you." She spoke and hurried out.

Roy, Arabella and their guests followed her to the door of the Great Hall and listened to McGonagall's short speech:

"Dear students, dear teachers, you are wondering what we are celebrating today. Well, it's something that happens very rarely at Hogwarts because you have to be at least seventeen to do it under magical law and Hogwarts students usually wait with it until after their N.E.W.T. exams." She paused for effect. "However, as the Magical State recognises marriages before Muggle institutions, I am pleased to inform you that two Hogwarts students married today in a convent near London."

She kept her listeners guessing for another moment and then added: "Namely Roy MacAllister and Arabella Wolfe. Mr. and Mrs. MacAllister, would you enter, please?"

The enthusiasm was not as universal everywhere as it was among the Slytherins, but even the Gryffindors – who, of course, cracked their jokes about the fact that two Slytherins, of all people, had married among the Muggles – could not bring themselves not to be pleased, and their girls, in particular, felt the event was immensely romantic.

The feast lasted until midnight, as set by McGonagall.