So this fic is sort of little snap-shots of the months leading up to Newt and Tina's wedding – the moments jump about quite a bit, but I tried to make it work for my muse :)
Also, I just want to preface this by saying that I know it's unlikely Newtina would be engaged and living together, let alone sharing a bed, but it's purely for logistics – Newt's flat only has one room plus the basement, and given that they're going to be spending the rest of their lives together…well, it's practical if nothing else!
SPOILERS OF CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD. REPEAT. SPOILERS AHEAD.
He could see it in her eyes the minute they sat down to write out invitations; she had gazed at the paper, the envelopes, the quill, before finally looking toward the (mercifully short) list of names they had decided on to be their invited guests. It was more to appease his mother then anything else, who insisted on doing things properly and sending out invites so that people could reserve the date. Truthfully, they'd have both been more than happy to marry inside the case with the bare minimum of people – throwing a large celebration, especially with danger and war approaching, seemed rather silly.
With a flick of his wand, he set a quill to work; his own handwriting was messy at best, and it would be far quicker this way. Tina didn't seem to notice, instead still focusing on the list of names.
"Who's first then?" Newt asked gently.
She lifted her eyes to him before hurriedly straightening up. "Oh… Theseus."
Theseus knew he was invited anyway – after all, he'd been one of the two people who helped Newt with his proposal – but this all had to be official, of course. The quill skittered across the first square of paper on the table, writing as Newt silently dictated the words to it; Tina flicked her wand at a second quill to write out addresses on the envelope – hopefully it wouldn't take too long to get through everyone.
The only other people on the list were his parents, Jacob and a few select colleagues that it didn't feel too strange to invite; he noticed Tina look bemused at one of the names the quills wrote out, looking at him in question.
"What is it?"
"Nothing," She said, smiling in a bemused sort of way. "It's just…are you sure it's a good idea to invite Bunty?"
"Well, she's been my assistant for a number of years," He reminded her. "And it wouldn't hurt to have an extra pair of hands if one of the creatures does get out of hand somehow…"
Tina didn't look so sure. "Yeah, but she's…quite taken with you." When he still didn't understand, she huffed out a laugh. "You haven't seen the way she stares at you? The way she's hopelessly in love with you?"
"She is?" Newt asked, surprised by this. "I can't say I have noticed, but perhaps that's because I've always been too busy thinking about you."
If anyone else had said that, it would have been trite – but he was so sincere and earnest that it made her feel warm all over. She didn't question him further, instead turning back to the list with pink cheeks and a shy but joyful smile.
Her good mood didn't last long, however; as they finished the last of the invitations, he noticed his fiancée staring down at the table with a miserable expression. Frowning, he turned his attention away from the quills and cleared his throat.
"Tina, love? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," She lied immediately, avoiding his eyes. "Nothing at all."
His frown deepened. "There obviously is… Is there something I can do to help, perhaps? Or is there something about the wedding that you'd like to change? Because I don't care what my mother says, if you'd feel more comfortable marrying in private and away from all of this-"
"It's not that," Tina muttered, twirling her wand between her fingers; her gaze fell on the simple diamond in her engagement ring, drawn to it. "I just… I always thought that if I ever got married, then Queenie…" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I just thought Queenie would be here, that's all."
Newt suddenly understood, and he felt his stomach sink at the thought. "Oh. Right, I see."
"It's fine," She dismissed, now standing and picking up the pile of envelopes containing invitations. "I'll get these sent off now."
She had left the room before he could even think of how he could possibly respond.
"I don't understand why I can't just wear my usual clothes, Theseus…"
"Because you're getting married, Newt; you have to wear a suit, whether you like it or not."
"Well, let me make it clear right now that I don't like it."
His brother merely grinned, pulling at lapels of his suit jacket. "Noted. I'm sure your wife-to-be will appreciate the effort though, either way." He moved aside to allow a magical measuring tape to continue working, the robe tailor taking notes nearby. "Listen, Newt, I've been meaning to talk to you about something…"
"Yes, I'm absolutely sure that I want you to be my best man," Newt said absent-mindedly.
Theseus laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Well, I was wondering but that wasn't what I wanted to say… I know that you've put off buying the rings just yet because of…shall we say, little thieves that are living with you." Newt had to hide a small smirk at the mention of the Nifflers. "But you're going to have to think about buying them soon, and…well, I'd like to offer my help."
"You're already helping me enough, Theseus," He stated. "And I'm not exactly finding it difficult to afford things at the moment, what with how well the book's been selling."
"No, this is different," His brother informed him; his smile was gone now, a serious look on his face. "When I was marrying… When I was going to get married," He said instead. "Father gave me the rings that belonged to his parents – they're goblin-made, rather simple but passed down through the family. Of course, I don't need them now, not since…what happened in Paris. Truth is, I don't think I'll ever need them."
Newt looked at his brother in surprise, understanding immediately. "Oh, no – no, no, no, I couldn't take them, Theseus-"
"Newt." Theseus' voice was pained but firm. "I want you and Tina to have them; I have no use for them now, and they're just sitting in a box being ignored."
"Father gave you them for you and Leta," He disagreed, and his brother turned away swiftly at the mention of her name – her loss was still far too painful for the both of them, even now, but he pressed on. "If he had wanted me to have them, he'd have given them to me himself… I doubt he wants me to have them."
"Well, Father gave them to me, meaning that they're mine now – and as they're mine, I can give them to whoever I want," Theseus said without hesitating. "I have no use for them anymore, Newt; it would be a shame to let them be unused and forgotten."
Newt shifted uncomfortably, well aware that several other people in the shop were starting to look over curiously. "You don't know that; you could decide, if you meet someone else-"
"I won't."
"You don't know that." His brother didn't say anything to this, so he continued on. "Even so, you know how Father feels about me – he wouldn't want his disappointment of a son having something so important to the family."
"It's not up to Father," Theseus said, his voice gentle now as he stepped closer. "He chose to give them to me – and now I'm choosing to pass them on to you." He placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder, expression sincere. "I want to give them to you and Tina, Newt; I know how much she means to you, how much you love her, and it seems only right that you both have them."
"Theseus…"
"Please, Newt," His brother murmured. "For me."
Newt looked up at him, trying to read his facial expression; he knew from the look on his brother's face that he wasn't going to change his stance on the topic, that he was completely serious. He knew that there was no way he could reject the idea now, not with his older brother looking so desperate and pleading.
"Alright," He said quietly. "Thank you, Theseus."
He didn't really mind when Theseus pulled him into a tight hug, instead embracing him in return and closing his eyes.
Queenie should have been the one to help her with a wedding dress.
It was difficult to keep herself from thinking about it throughout every single consultation and fitting – it was as if there were a gaping hole where her sister should be, where she knew Queenie would be standing and eager to help. She tried to take her mind off of it by focusing on the dress, on what the dressmakers were saying to her, but she just couldn't – it was like she was missing a limb, a vital part of herself.
Newt's mother had insisted on helping her when it came to the dress, especially after she'd discovered that Tina had no mother of her own to fill that role, and at first, she'd been grateful; it gave her some time to get to know her future mother-in-law, someone to offer a second opinion. But it really wasn't the same – Mrs Scamander meant well, but it was difficult to feel comfortable when she kept referring to Leta Lestrange.
"Oh, Leta was stunning," She'd said on more than one occasion. "The way she looked in the dress they were making for her…it's such a shame she never got to wear it. She looked like a true bride."
She didn't need to say the obvious: Tina knew she didn't look like a bride in any sense of the word, not even when she tried on any of the dresses that were suggested by the dressmakers. She was too tall, too plain, to be a bride – everyone knew it, even without it being said. The dresses were never quite right for one reason or another: the style was wrong, they didn't sit well on her frame, she felt uncomfortable.
Queenie would have known what looked right.
She knew Newt wouldn't mind what she wore – he'd said so himself that he'd have been more than comfortable having a short and private ceremony away from everyone else – but she still wanted to look somewhat nice on the day. At the rate things were going, however, it looked unlikely that she'd find the right dress in time; chances were that she'd have to settle for something that would appease Mrs Scamander and looked merely fine.
Truthfully, it wasn't so much the dress as the lack of her sister at such a pivotal moment in the life.
"Tina, wait!"
She didn't stop, gritting her teeth together. "I'm not in the mood, Theseus – besides, I have paperwork to do-"
"Hold on, wait a moment," Theseus muttered, taking a hold of her arm to stop her from walking; she turned to face him, folding her arms and looking extremely annoyed. "Look, I just wanted to apologize for how things were at dinner last night; my mother and father shouldn't have been so insistent about things, and I understand why you're angry."
"They wanted us to tell someone – a friend of ours – that she couldn't come," Tina retorted. "Apparently, having a Maledictus at the ceremony would…what was the phrase your father used? Lower the tone and set a bad example."
He sighed. "No, I know, and he shouldn't have said that Nagini couldn't come-"
"Your parents tried to talk us out of having Jacob bake the cake," She stated bitterly. "That was the first thing we decided on: we wanted Jacob there and we wanted him to create the wedding cake – we are not changing our minds on that."
"No, and I completely agree with you," Theseus assured her. "This is your wedding – your big day – and the two of you should be the ones making these decisions. But I can promise you that our mother isn't trying to be rude at all; she just wants to be involved, wants the day to be perfect."
She raised a brow. "And your father?"
"Father… Well, he and Newt have never really seen eye-to-eye on anything," He admitted. "He's very much concerned with appearances and how the family is viewed – as it is, Newt caused enough scandal by being expelled from Hogwarts and by choosing the career path he has."
"Yes, Newt's told me how your father thinks of him," Tina muttered coldly. "That he's a 'disappointment'."
"Well, that's Father's problem," He said dismissively. "Don't take what he says to heart, alright? In the end, it doesn't matter what he or Mother think about you two or the wedding – the only people who need to be happy with it are you and Newt."
She regarded this for a moment before slowly nodding and unfolding her arms. "Alright. I guess you've got a point."
"Mother and Father are really very sorry about dinner last night," Theseus continued earnestly. "They both know that they shouldn't have been so forceful with how they voiced their opinions last night – they're not bad people, Tina, not really."
"No, I know that," Tina agreed quietly, now turning away once more. "Okay, I'll tell Newt what you've told me when I get home… Thanks, Theseus."
He merely grinned at her, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Anytime, Tina – you're family now, after all."
Truthfully, Jacob was more than happy to help his friend with wedding vows – it was the very least he could do, other than bake the cake as requested – but he'd have been lying if he'd said it was easy. As it turned out, Newt still seemed to have some trouble with saying things that weren't odd.
"Newt, buddy, I know you mean it like a compliment," He said carefully. "But you've gotta stop comparing Tina to your creatures."
"But she is as majestic as a Thunderbird," Newt insisted. "That was her house at Ilvermorny, you know. And she actually seemed to like it when I told her about her eyes being just like a salamander's."
Jacob wasn't sure whether to laugh or not. "You two…you're made for each other, I swear. Look," He started, deciding to try a different tactic. "Why don't you talk about the first time you guys met? That's what people usually do."
Newt paused, thinking to himself for a moment before speaking. "Well… When Tina and I first met," He mused fondly, smiling to himself. "She pushed me against a wall and arrested me."
"Yeah…maybe don't mention that then."
"I'm sorry," He apologised. "I know I'm not very good at putting things into words."
"You're thinking too much," Jacob stated, giving him a well-meaning pat on the shoulder. "It's gotta come from the heart – though, you know, without mentioning salamanders or thunderbirds or whatever. I mean, you guys are about to be married: you're spending the rest of your lives together, you know? I'll tell you what, you just say how you feel, and we'll try to work on it from there."
Newt considered this, trying to relax himself before clearing his throat. "Alright. Well…I love her," He said, and his friend nodded for him to continue. "I love Tina because she's so…so passionate and loves what she does; she wants to help people, to do the right thing, but she's not ruthless like some Aurors are. She's beautiful, though I don't think she realizes it most of the time, and when I look at her, I feel like my breath's been taken away. I feel like I can be myself around her, more than I can around anyone else." He smiled to himself, lost in the thought of her. "To tell you the truth, I didn't think I'd be married; everyone else has always considered me and my fascination with magical creatures strange, unnatural even – which is mildly hilarious, when you think about it, given that creatures are far more natural than human beings are. The thought of not being married never really bothered me, I suppose – but then there was Tina. She makes me so happy, Jacob, happier than I've felt I have any right to be…it's trite, but I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her."
"That… That's beautiful, Newt," Jacob muttered quietly, looking somewhat stunned even as he grinned.
"So… So that's good?"
His friend chuckled, putting an arm around him. "Tell you what – you say all that at the ceremony, Newt, and you'll have her crying tears of joy."
It was a cold night when he found Tina sitting on the steps in the basement, absent-mindedly petting one of the Nifflers; on closer inspection, she seemed to have been crying. When he sat down beside her, she didn't look at him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Newt asked tentatively.
"I'm fine," She muttered, watching as the Niffler eyed up her engagement ring. "I just…feel a little overwhelmed, that's all."
"Oh. If it helps, I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by all of this too," He admitted. "There's so much to organise, and it's all rather difficult to keep track of."
She didn't reply to this, keeping her eyes trained on the Niffler in her arms; he made a chattering noise, reaching out an arm to grab at her ring and looking displeased when he couldn't quite reach. Newt merely watched as his fiancée gently stroked the fur of the creature in her arms, noting that she was deep in thought – something was clearly bothering her, even if she refused to tell him. It would be useless to try and push her into voicing her thoughts, she was far too stubborn for that, but all the same he wished he could help her.
"Are you sure you want to marry me?" Tina blurted suddenly.
"I'm…I'm sorry?" He questioned, absolutely baffled.
"I'm being stupid," She muttered, cheeks pink – but he could see a slight glimmer in her eyes. "But I can't help but think that you'd be better off marrying someone else."
Newt's expression was perplexed, if a little hurt. "Are you saying that you don't wish to be married to me? Because if so, then just say, Tina-"
"No, I'm not saying that at all!" She disagreed; her grip on the Niffler loosened, and he scampered off quickly. "Of course I want to marry you, Newt – more than anything – but I keep thinking that maybe there's someone better, you know?"
"Well, that's ridiculous," He told her, frowning. "There's no one I'd rather marry, not in the entire world." He hesitated before taking her hand in his own, peering at her face in concern. "Tina…has something happened to make you feel this way?"
She gnawed on her lower lip. "Nothing in particular, I just…I've been thinking about it." She squeezed his fingers, inhaling deeply and closing her eyes. "I don't know what I'm doing with all this wedding stuff; I don't know the first thing about dresses, about flower arrangements or anything like that. Your mother is trying to help, but I still feel so useless and stupid about it all."
"You're not useless," Newt promised gently, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles comfortingly. "The thing is, in the end, I'm not concerned about the flowers or what dress you wear, or even who's there to watch; so long as we end up married by the end of it all, I'll be happier than you can imagine."
"Really?" She whispered.
He nodded, and his smile was soft. "Yes, really. We could elope right this very second, and I'd be content because I'd be able to call you my wife."
"I wish we could elope this second," Tina murmured, smiling back at him tearfully. "It would save so much time and energy."
"I know; all of this ceremony business is awfully tedious to have to deal with," He chuckled. "It won't be too much longer though – just a couple more months, and we'll finally be married."
"A couple more months," She repeated, squeezing his hand.
Even two months seemed too long to wait – but, at the very least, it wasn't longer.
The family dinner had started as any other might have; the conversation had been dominated by Theseus, who was clearly making an effort to keep the rising tension within the family under control, and things were polite. Truthfully, Newt and Tina hadn't really wanted to go – things were always uncomfortable at these dinners – but Mrs Scamander had insisted, and Newt (try as he might to deny it) couldn't bring himself to say no to his mother. As dinner was served by two rather worn house-elves that evening, it looked as though things were going to be civil – it was almost like a normal family dinner.
But then Theseus had stopped speaking, and the topic changed.
"I hope you two won't mind if we go over some wedding details after dinner," Mrs Scamander began. "We still need to arrange the flowers and where people will be sitting – now, don't give me that look, Newton, I know there aren't a great many people attending, but these things are still important because the wedding is only a month away!"
"There's family and a few friends," Newt sighed, exasperated. "Does it matter where everyone sits?"
"Well…"
"I'm not being sat next to the muggle," Newt's father muttered under his breath, reaching for his drink.
His wife cast him a look. "Leopold…"
"I'm not," He insisted, frowning at her. "They carry different diseases to us, you know – I'm not risking my health by sitting next to one of them."
"Oh, not this again," Newt huffed, now annoyed as he looked at his father. Beside him, Tina shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Jacob is a friend of ours, a good friend for that matter, and his being a muggle is completely irrelevant to discussing the wedding. If you have a problem with that, then-"
"Newt," Theseus muttered uneasily, trying to put a hand on his brother's arm.
But he ignored him. "While we're on the topic of wedding guests," He seethed. "Yes, a Maledictus will be attending our wedding too: Tina and I are both in agreement that she's a friend of ours, and that we want her to be there. If you don't like that, then you're more than welcome to not attend."
"This is ridiculous," Leopold tutted, shaking his head. "Of course, it makes sense that you would be friends with those sorts of people – they're closer to your beasts than normal human beings."
Newt stood suddenly, reaching into his pocket for his wand; Theseus clambered out of his chair too, trying to restrain him. "Newt, don't-"
"Do you know why I love my creatures so much?" He asked angrily. "Because they're far easier to understand than someone like you – because, unlike you, I've never had to fear them hurting me intentionally."
A silence fell over the room at this statement; Tina was open-mouthed as she turned to her fiancée, looking at him worriedly. "What?"
"Not all of the scars I have are from creatures," He said quietly, casting a glance at his father. "I was such a disappointment to him – and he made sure I knew it, that I wouldn't forget. He thought he could make me normal by beating me, that I'd change so I wouldn't have to endure it…but here we are. I'm still a disappointment to him."
Leopold stood from his seat, glaring at his youngest son. "I did it to help you, to stop you from being so odd. Not that it made any difference – you're too set in your ways to change." He looked to his wife, who was pale and staring down at her dinner plate. "It was for his own good; did you want him to grow up to be a freak?"
Tina was frowning, looking at the older man with a steely gaze as she stood. "You beat him because he was different – there's nothing good about that at all!"
"Tina," Theseus warned, though he appeared vaguely unwell too.
"How can you stand there and act like Newt is the problem when you're the one who made him so anxious and scared to be around people?" She seethed angrily. "The only problem here is you abusing your sons!"
Leopold scoffed, shaking his head at her. "This is the woman you want to marry, Newton? I mean, really?"
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Newt asked tersely.
Mrs Scamander looked to her husband anxiously. "Leopold…"
"No, Florence, I've kept silent on this for long enough!" The Scamander patriarch turned on his youngest son, clearly completely worked up. "From the very start, Newton, I've made it clear that I do not approve of your marriage to this woman, and yet you've ignored my advice and warnings in favour of your wild infatuation."
"I ignored you because I don't need your approval to marry someone I love," Newt gritted out.
His father scoffed again. "You clearly do because the woman you've chosen is…well, really, you couldn't do slightly better?"
"Leopold!" Florence gasped, appalled by this.
"And just what is so wrong with her?" Newt questioned icily, looking as though he were two seconds away from hexing his father.
Tina gripped his arm, feeling unwell. "Newt, please-"
"For a start, she wears trousers, Newton – what kind of wife do you expect her to make?" He gestured to Tina now, glaring at the two of them. "Not only that, but she's also an American and an Auror; what kind of good, well-raised woman decides to become an Auror?"
Theseus cleared his throat, clearly trying to cut in and stop a full-on fight from breaking out. "Father, I think that's enou-"
"She's a half-blood," Leopold continued angrily. "Our family have been pure-blood for centuries, and you want to ruin that bloodline by contaminating it with a half-blood? Even your brother managed to find a nice pure-blood girl, even if she was from a family with an ill reputation and got herself killed."
"Leopold," Florence said sternly, though her eyes immediately went to her eldest son.
"At least Theseus' fiancée was a pretty girl who could pass on good genes," He stated loudly. "I honestly don't see what you see in this girl, Newton; she's tall, gangly… Do you think she'll be able to give you children with those hips? There's no chance she would survive childbirth!"
Newt's jaw was clenched as he stared at his father in hatred, hand tightening on his wand. "Anything else you want to add?"
Leopold's lip curled upwards as he looked at Tina, as though there was an unpleasant smell in the room, eyes narrowed. "Goldstein is a Jewish name… Do you expect me to sit back and watch my family's name be tainted with the dirty blood of a Jew?"
Theseus barely had time to conjure a shield between his brother and his father before a hex flew through the air, everything quickly descending into chaos.
They'd barely been home a minute before Tina was hurriedly unbuttoning her coat and avoiding him; Newt watched her, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"Tina…"
"You tried to hex your father," She stated, both angry and in disbelief. "You shouldn't have tried to hex him, Newt!"
"Oh, so I was supposed to just tolerate everything he said?" Newt retorted half-heartedly. "If anything, I should have punched him instead!"
He fully expected her to snap back at him, to continue telling him how he had been reckless and foolish – but then her shoulders sank before starting to shake as she brought her hands to her face. Concerned, he took a step closer to her and placed a hand on her back.
"Tina, love?"
"He's right," She murmured miserably, shaking her head. "You shouldn't be marrying me."
"What? No, don't say that, Tina – he's completely wrong."
But she was struggling not to cry now, pulling away from him. "I've ruined things for your family; you wouldn't have fought with them – wouldn't have tried to jinx your father – if it weren't for me."
"I can assure you, I probably would have at some point," Newt muttered, moving closer once more and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Nothing that happened this evening was your fault; if anyone's to blame, it's my father. What he said to you… I wish I had managed to hit him."
"He was right though," Tina insisted tearfully, but she didn't move away. "American, half-blood, an Auror… Jewish."
He frowned at her. "Everything he said was Hippogriff shit; there's no shame in being American, an Auror or a half-blood – most of the pure-blood families are all inbred these days, to be honest. As for being Jewish, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that at all; the only people who would think so are incredibly stupid and bigoted. It just goes to show how narrow-minded my father is."
"But he was right about me not being pretty," She insisted, somewhat hesitantly. "I mean…usually that doesn't bother me, there's more important stuff than being pretty, but he had a point; I don't look like a wife should, don't dress like one, and…and if you wanted to have kids someday then, I don't know, he could be right about me not being able to do that. Plus, the kid could end up looking like me and-"
"And they would be just as beautiful as their mother," Newt told her sincerely, and he reached to push some stray hair behind her ear. "Tina, I'm not marrying you because I want a housewife or children; I'm marrying you because I love you – everything about you. To be honest, children are the last thing on my mind right now; if they come, they come. Right now, all I want is to be married to you: to call you my wife and to call myself your husband. Does that sound alright to you?"
Tina smiled weakly, tears running down her face as she melted into him in an embrace. "Yeah. Yeah, it does." Her smile slowly faded once more. "The wedding…and your father…"
"He is not coming to the wedding," He stated. "In fact, I have half a mind to just call the whole ceremony off so that we can elope." He looked at her, somewhat apologetically. "I know that would be selfish on my part – you deserve a wonderful ceremony and a big day-"
"No, I don't want any of that," She disagreed genuinely. "I've told you before, I'd prefer if we could just elope."
He hesitated, looking at her inquisitively. "Are you sure, Tina? I'm sure we could still manage to have the wedding as it was planned, though we'd have to rearrange the location…"
"I'm sure," Tina agreed softly, beaming at him. "I don't need flowers or table arrangements or anything fancy – I just wanna get married, Newt."
"You know, Newt, you still could have worn the suit."
His brother merely shrugged this off dismissively. "You know I wouldn't have felt comfortable; besides, there was no use in paying for it and only wearing it the once. Tina's not wearing a special dress, as far as I know, so I don't see why I should wear a proper suit."
"Well, it's your wedding," Theseus said fondly. "The officiate from the Ministry is waiting, by the way; he seemed rather…intrigued by your creatures."
'Intrigued' was a slight understatement; the wizard in question was currently frozen in fear near the Occamy nest, trying to look as small as possible.
"You know, this is the first time I've been to a wedding inside a suitcase," Jacob chuckled, looking absolutely thrilled. "Gotta say, don't think I'll forget it anytime soon!"
Newt grinned at this. "I don't think we will either. You've got the cake ready?"
"Baked it specially last night," His friend stated proudly. "Didn't think I'd be able to get it down the steps though – you guys don't mind having it back up in the flat?"
"No, of course not – we can eat it in the basement," He decided. "I'm sure the Nifflers will be excited to see us…might have to be careful about the rings, though, make sure we don't lose them…"
Jacob clapped him on the shoulder, giving him a bright grin of his own. "Alright. Well, I'm gonna go check on Tina – we gotta get you two married!"
As he made his way down the path and towards the shed, a bounce in his step, Theseus smiled at his brother warmly. "So, this is it, Newt: you'll be married within the hour. How are you feeling?"
"Happy," Newt answered honestly, somewhat sheepishly. "To be honest, I don't think I've been this excited in my life."
"Oh, just wait until tonight," Theseus muttered with a smirk; Newt's cheeks suddenly burned red. "Honestly, though, I'm…I'm happy for you, Newt; I know how much you love her, and she's a wonderful woman."
"She really is."
His older brother laughed quietly. "I've never forgotten Tina disarming and tying me up, you know – took me completely by surprise, but just goes to show how skilled she is. I'm looking forward to having her as part of the family."
"That means a lot to us both, Theseus…" He hesitated, smile slipping. "Have you spoken to Mother or Father at all since…?"
"Oh." Theseus shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, I briefly spoke to Mother; she was very upset about dinner, and about the sudden wedding. I told her what you told me," He said carefully. "That she could come, so long as it was without Father, but…"
"But she decided to follow his orders," Newt finished, somewhat bitterly. "I thought she would."
His brother put a hand on his shoulder, looking at him seriously. "This wasn't Mother's fault, Newt; you can't blame her for what Father did to us in the past. She's tried her best."
"No, I know. All the same…" He sighed. "I do wish she had come."
"So do I," Theseus admitted. "But you can't let either of them ruin this day for you, Newt: this day is for you and Tina, and you deserve to be happy today. And you won't be celebrating it alone – you have people who genuinely care for both of you here, people who love you even if they're not related by blood. They're the ones you know you can count on in the years to come."
Newt blinked before slowly grinning again, stepping forward to hug his brother. "You're right. Thank you, Theseus – it means a lot to me that you're here."
His brother laughed quietly, squeezing him back. "I'm happy to be here for you both. Now then," He began, eyes twinkling as they separated. "As your older brother, I think it's my duty to give you some…brotherly advice about tonight."
For a moment, Newt had no idea what he was talking about – and then he groaned. "Theseus, that's really not necessary-"
"Oh, no," Theseus insisted good-naturedly. "This is one tradition you're not escaping from, Newt."
Merlin's beard.
When Nagini had offered to help her get ready, Tina had admittedly been hesitant – not because she didn't trust her, but because she herself wasn't so sure what she could do to make herself look anything like a bride. However, it soon became apparent that the younger woman knew what she was doing, perhaps because she had had enough practice getting ready for shows whilst at the circus, and the two fell into a quiet but comfortable conversation as she worked.
"I'm sorry there's not a lot to work with," Tina apologized anxiously.
Nagini merely smiled, turning to the paltry make-up supplies that had been left on the workbench of the shed. "It's fine – I've worked with less before."
As she carefully brushed some powder over her face, Tina tried not to feel too self-conscious. "It's nice of you to help me get ready; I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing, and I'm never usually fussed with this kinda thing…"
"I wanted to help," The younger woman insisted gently. "After all, you and your friends took me in after…after what happened in Paris; I had no one, and I would have been alone. This is the least I can do to help."
"It's just as well," Tina sighed. "I don't really have anyone else who could have helped me – not since my sister…" She swallowed the lump in her throat that had suddenly appeared. "Since she joined him."
Nagini stopped for a moment, gazing at her sadly. "I'm sorry. You two must have been close."
"Yeah," She managed thickly, blinking to hide the tears in her eyes. "We were. Our Ma and Pa died when we were kids, so all we had was each other. I thought we could tell each other anything, that I was looking out for her just fine but…but I didn't."
"She made her choice," The younger woman said quietly. "There wasn't anything you could have done – just as I couldn't have stopped Credence."
Tina hesitated before reaching out to take her hand uncertainly. "I'm sorry too. I know you two were close."
Nagini squeezed back, managing a weak smile. "Yes, we were. But let's not talk about that now," She decided. "You're getting married – it's a happy day, one for celebration."
"Yeah, you're right," She agreed, smiling back half-heartedly. "I wanna be happy today."
They were just finishing up when there was a knock on the door of the shed; they both turned when it opened to see Jacob cautiously peeking in, slightly anxious. When he saw them, he grinned in relief and opened the door further.
"Was worried I'd catch you indecent or something," He mumbled, straightening his jacket out before taking a good look at Tina; his grin widened. "You look pretty."
"She does," Nagini agreed with a smile.
Tina was sure that her cheeks were glowing pink at the praise. "Um… Thanks."
"Everything else is all ready now," Jacob informed her. "Not that I wanna rush you or nothing, but just thought I'd tell you. We're all ready when you are."
"I'm finished with your hair and make-up," Nagini informed her, straightening up. "I'm going to wait outside with the others."
As she left the shed, Jacob stepped closer to Tina; for a moment, he looked slightly uncertain. "So… You sure you want me walking you out there?" He asked carefully. "Not that I mind – 'course not – but I know it's not traditional-"
"Yeah, I want you to," Tina assured him, slightly awkwardly. "I don't have anyone else to walk me, and…and you're a good friend. I think Queenie would have liked it, you walking me out there to get married."
Jacob seemed to deflate slightly at the mention of her sister, but he managed to nod. "Yeah…Yeah, I think she'd have liked that too." He hesitated. "I'm sorry she ain't here, Tina; I'm sure, wherever she is right now, she's probably thinking 'bout you."
"You think so?" When he nodded, she had to blink to rid the tears from her eyes. "Oh."
"Hey, hey, don't cry," He muttered, putting a hand on her arm. "Queenie wouldn't want you to cry on your wedding day, and you'll ruin your make-up. Thing is, this day ain't about Queenie or anyone else, alright? Just you and Newt – you two getting married; it's supposed to be the happiest day of your lives, right?"
"I know, and I am happy," Tina stated, avoiding his eyes. "I still just wish she was here, that's all. But I'm not gonna let it ruin today – she wouldn't want that."
He nodded. "No, she wouldn't. If you need a minute or something, then just let me know – there's no rush to this wedding, just take your time-"
"No," Tina interrupted, voice firmer now; she managed a smile. "I wanna get married now: I'm ready."
Jacob grinned at her before offering his arm. "Alright; let's get you guys married then."
There were only a small selection of guests who had been invited to the ceremony in the case, people who they knew they could trust and who cared; Theseus smiled at each person from his position beside Newt, feeling sudden fondness for everyone in attendance who were making the day special for his brother. Nagini still looked slightly uncomfortable to be around so many wizards but was smiling all the same; Bunty, Newt's assistant who he'd not met before, was clearly trying to force herself to smile too, clearly happy but also a little heartbroken perhaps. The most surprising guest was Yusuf Kama, who had accepted his invitation rather last minute; the French wizard was sat beside Nagini, his hat in his lap and slightly uneasy. Theseus wasn't quite sure why Tina had decided to invite him, but he strongly suspected that they'd been working together on researching more about the Credence boy over the last few years; still, he had come and that was what mattered.
And, of course, there were his brother's creatures – he hadn't expected otherwise, to be honest.
When Jacob appeared, Tina on his arm, everyone turned to watch; Newt's breath hitched at the sight of her, a bright grin lighting up his face. Her dress was rather simple, nothing too special, but she looked absolutely beautiful to him. Tina smiled back, slightly breathless herself; all of her attention was focused on him, and nothing else mattered all of a sudden – just that she was marrying him.
The ceremony was short but sweet; the Ministry officiate seemed a little anxious to get on with things, especially when he noticed the Nundu lounging nearby, but no one paid much notice to this. As they exchanged vows, Jacob pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and mopped the tears from his face; Theseus was smiling widely, ignoring the tears running down his own cheeks as he watched his brother and Tina. From his perch nearby, Dougal purred happily at the sight of them, completely content; many of the creatures around them were grazing and watching, somewhat intrigued by this event.
When it came to exchanging rings, Theseus carefully took them from his pockets and handed them to the bride and groom; their father was going to be furious that they had used their grandparents' rings, but the thought had just made both brothers grin to themselves in amusement. Tina looked as though she were about to burst into tears as her new husband slid the ring onto her finger to sit beside her engagement ring, beaming joyfully – Newt didn't seem to care a jot about remaining composed, judging by the tear that streaked down his face as he allowed her to slip the other ring onto his finger.
Despite the small number of guests in attendance, there still seemed to be loud applause as the officiate pronounced them husband and wife for the first time. As they took each other's hands and shared a small kiss, they both couldn't help but feel delightfully at peace – despite all that happened, they were happy and filled with joy.
Nothing else mattered – not the war, not absent family members or anything else – because they were married. Whatever came next, one thing was certain: they would face it together.
Nagini being invited to the ceremony? Fight me, she deserves friendship and to be invited.
Seriously though, I'm hoping to write a little something explaining how Nagini bonds with the others after CoG (especially Tina btw), which would explain why she's at the wedding.
Feedback greatly appreciated!