The Dreamer's Curse

An Enemy's Game

[Chapter 22]

Luna and I spent Christmas nibbling on Christmas sweets. The garden was decorated with gold flowers that twinkled in the light. Deep red satin covered the tall cocktail tables behind long rows of tables and wooden chairs divided by rose covered aisles.

The delicacy of Chrysocolla Cottage’s location meant that the reception would be much more private than the actual wedding ceremony. Alice insisted on this.

Sirius and Alice arrived at midnight with the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione in tow. Mr Weasley was still in his wheelchair, bandaged in multiple places, but he was smiling up at everyone, cheerful and happy.

Harry, on the other hand, was the opposite of cheery.

“You alright?” I whispered.

“I’ve got to tell you something,” he says before pulling me into a corner. “I know why Dumbledore’s been avoiding me…And why the Order’s so keen on protecting me.”

His eyes are anxious, and he drops his gaze. “What’s wrong?”

“The weapon…It’s me, Jane. I’m the weapon. Voldemort is possessing me. That’s why Dumbledore’s been so keen on keeping me in the dark…”

“Don’t be thick, you are not being possessed.”

“You didn’t hear what they said! It explains everything!”

“And what about last year? Was he possessing you then too?”

“This was different,” Harry shook his head. “It was…I was the snake…I attacked Mr Weasley!”

“Have you talked to Ginny about this?”

“Wha-why would I talk to Ginny about this?”

“Harry. She was possessed by Riddle’s diary back when we were in second year.”

“Oh, oh, I forgot.”

“Alright, we’re settling this once and for all—here they come—go on, talk to them. Ron looks like you haven’t spoke to him in days.”

I made my way to Alice, who was giving me an almost telepathic cry for help.

The two of us excused ourselves and dashed into my room—Alice had done a little renovating while I was away so that there were now three floors in our cottage instead of two. She twiddled her thumbs and bit her lip.

“You look like the most hesitant bride of the century this way,” I said.

“We weren’t supposed to be married until Easter,” Alice said softly. “And I don’t much like the idea of being the Order’s distraction. Did you know that we had to invite the Minister to the Wedding?”

“But you do want to marry him, don’t you?”

“I do…It’s just… It feels like a facade, and I’ve had enough of that kind of thing—in our world, I mean…”

“Yeah, I know the feeling…It’s as if we never left…”

Alice leaned her head on my shoulder, and for a minute, we sat there, and we understood. We were not of one world nor the other, forever in between both until the Curse breaks and we can properly pass on.

The ceremony took place the next day at the local church. The clergyman was a squib, and so it didn’t really matter that the whole congregation wore fancy wizarding robes. I suppose it added to the charm of the whole thing. Alice’s friends from Obscurus Books sat near the back, keen to avoid the Minister and his henchmen. Several guests were prominent Ministry figures, only invited to play into the ‘distraction.’ Harry was seething at the sight of the prim and proper Malfoy family sitting themselves in our midst.