Chapter Text
Stars and Gravity
Six years.
That's how long it took Merula to say yes.
In hindsight, proposing near the Ministry’s interrogation room had been a terrible idea, and it also took a war, eight months of rebellion planning, and a final showdown at Hogwarts to win her over.
"At least I didn't get cliche and propose during the battle." he muttered, wrestling with his tie in the mirror.
Fifteen minutes of struggle later, his left hand throbbed in protest. The injury, a constant reminder of those six years, had worsened. Splinting it offered some control, but not much.
"Here, let me get that." A smile tugged at Connor's lips as he turned to see Jacob, his brother, approaching with champagne flutes and a mismatched tux.
"Drinking already?" Connor teased.
Jacob smirked, tossing a tie at him. "Open bar, brother. Why not celebrate? You should get married more often."
“Don’t even joke about that or Merula will cut your throat.” Connor laughed “And I don’t plan to make a habit out of it: she’s the woman with whom I intend to spend the rest of my life with, I have no intention of searching for someone else.”
Jacob downed a flute. "Alright, alright, jokes for later. Now, hold still so I can make you look presentable for your soon-to-be-wife."
“I’d like you way more if you were Merula.” He chuckled “And try to not ruin the suit: it took me three days to find one.”
“Isn’t there a rule about not seeing your wife before the wedding?”
“Ugh, I don’t know, and I don’t care.” Connor laughed again “I just know that I want to make this day perfect for her…After everything we went through in these last months, I want to gift her this.”
Someone knocked on the door “Can I come in?”
“Sure!”
Penny Haywood, dressed in red and gold, entered the room with a warm smile. “Merula is almost ready, so you better come out and wait her at the altar: it’s the husband that is supposed to wait for the bride.”
“Can you fix my tie, then? Jacob is messing it up.”
“I wouldn’t if you stopped moving!” The man retorted.
Penny laughed and moved closer, gently moving aside Jacob, and grabbing the tie. “Here, let me help.”
Her fingers danced across the silk of the tie, expertly following the familiar folds. With a practiced twist, she brought the wide end over the narrow one, creating a neat, diagonal line across his chest.
“Thank you for the invite, I’m glad to be here.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to apologize and come back.”
The girl smiled, her brow furrowed slightly in concentration as she tucked the wide end under the loop. “You saved my sister, Conn. I accepted your apologize in an instant…It did take you a while to get better and become a better man, though.”
Her other hand held the narrow end taut, anchoring it in place as she tightened the knot with a gentle tug. A final, critical check - was it straight? Was it even? Satisfied, she stepped back, a small smile playing on her lips.
“I…was wondering on a lot of things. Chiara told me you cried after my sixteenth birthday. I’m sorry: I should’ve acted like a man and invite you to. I was petty and stupid.”
She hugged him, hands clutching to his back, she stayed there for a few seconds before stepping back again, and playfully punch his shoulder.
“Took you long enough.”
Merula took a deep breath and tried to stop her hands from shaking.
“If you throw up now, you’ll ruin the dress.”
“Shut it, Lobosca.”
The Hufflepuff was right though: Merula was feeling nauseous like she had just drunk an entire bar; her hands wouldn’t stop shaking, she was breathing as she had just finished an eight miles run, and she was pretty sure her green dress changed colors a few times since she had put it on.
“You are not having a panic attack, are you?” Chiara’s voice sounded worried as she got closer to Merula to grab her hands “Hey, look at me.”
“The Strongest Witch of Hogwarts doesn’t have panic attacks.” The Slytherin sighed and massaged her temple. “I’m just…nervous. What if he’s making a huge mistake?”
“Wait, him? Ugh, why is it always about Connor? Merula, you are a wonderful woman, an amazing witch, an extraordinary Auror, and you have excellent taste in wine. Meanwhile, Connor is an average looking, impulsive, reckless, misanthrope, tactile-averse, vengeful, vulgar wizard who’s only known for killing people and until a few months ago, there were posters all around England with his face printed on it that said ‘Wanted. Dead or Alive.’”
“I know.” Merula gloomy replied “He had one of those hanged in our bedroom.”
“I’ll add ‘egomaniac’ to the list.” Chiara sighed. “Look, Merula, you need to stop putting him on a pedestal. You don’t know his…Ok, it’s gonna sound corny and stupid, but you don’t know how mean he can be. Sure, during his seven years in Hogwarts he saved the day more times than I can count, but he also started arguments just for hell of it, he purposely enraged Slytherins just to have an excuse to fight them, and he once punched a wall after he smashed himself on it.”
“How can you smash yourself on a wall?”
“That’s what I asked him when I found him in the Infirmary. Apparently, he had messed up the ingredients of an energetic potions because he didn’t want to sleep. Which brings me to another huge flaw of his: he thinks he can do everything by himself.”
“He did have you and the others during the search for the Vaults.”
“Yeah, but that’s because we basically told him that if he didn’t want us to come with him, he should have cursed us.”
Merula laughed: a warm, vibrant sound that echoed in the room. She took a deep breath and got up on her feet. “God, he’s such an idiot.”
“He is, that’s why he’s lucky to have you.”
“By the way, how much champagne did you drink before stepping in here?”
“You don’t ask, I won’t tell.”
“The groom is ready, we just need the bride now, and we can all go back to drinking.”
“Jacob Arthur Gates, you will stay quiet and be a perfect gentleman during your brother’s wedding, or I swear I will give your childhood photos to The Prophet.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Don’t try a witch, Jakey: it never ends well.” A woman with black hair with an elegant strike of silver laughed.
“Miss Carter, it’s so good to see you!”
She turned around and her face sweetened in a smile as Penny approached her. “Penny, it’s so good to see you too, and may I say that you look splendid!”
The Hufflepuff laughed and graciously bowed her head “It’s nothing special: I just wanted to try something red for the occasion.”
“Well, the color suits you perfectly.” Connor’s mother gently hugged her.
“Yeah, yeah, you are both very beautiful.” Jacob scoffed “Where’s my idiot brother?”
“Jacob dear, do you remember what I said not even two minutes ago?” The woman’s eyes dangerously shined. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want Penny to receive a preview of tomorrow’s first page, right?”
“Mother!”
“Shush! And none of this ‘mother’ thing. It’s so démodé.”
Penny laughed “Oh Catherine, you never change.”
“I can’t afford to.” The woman shook her head with a smile “Do you know how hard it would be to deal with these two? But Jacob isn’t all wrong: where’s Connor?”
The Hufflepuff’s mouth twisted in disgust. “He…threw up seconds after Jacob left the room. I think he’s brushing his teeth.”
“Oh boy.”
“Shh, here he comes.”
Connor wasn't nervous, not exactly: butterflies weren't fluttering in his stomach; they were performing a synchronized ballet routine with a pit crew of anxiety monkeys wrenching at his insides. Afterall, he was just going to marry his high school sweetheart, a girl so competitive that nearly drowned once trying to outlast everyone at the Auror department's breath-holding competition. Competitive? Merula was practically a walking trophy case.
But then again, so was he: the Jenga-induced near-catastrophe that led to its ban in Black List Auror rec rooms was a testament to that.
A flicker of doubt, sharp and unexpected, pierced his facade. How could Merula, brilliant, beautiful, fierce Merula, have said yes? Doubt morphed into a suffocating wave of self-deprecation.
I’m an idiot: I’m gonna ruin everything because I won’t apologize even when it will only be fault…What the fuck is wrong with me, thinking that I’m worthy of a star like her.
Just then, the soft strains of the wedding march began. Connor straightened, forcing a smile at the officiant's warm, reassuring one. He closed his eyes for a moment, a silent plea escaping his lips. Universe, please, don't let me screw this up for the next sixty years.
The sound of rustling fabric heralded Merula’s arrival.
Connor dared a peek, his breath catching in his throat. There she was his soon to be wife, with a mischievous glint in her violet eyes hinting at the playful competition that had always simmered between them. She was radiant in a dress the colour of new spring leaves. The emerald green hugged her curves, shimmering like a captured forest sprite under the soft glow of the ceremony lights. Delicate straps flowed from the bodice, framing her shoulders like ivy. A single, perfect blossom, the same vibrant green as the dress, adorned the neckline.
Merula met his gaze, a shining smile transforming her face. It wasn't the confident, hard smile he'd expected, but a soft, playful one, a challenge woven into its warmth. In that moment, a truth settled over Connor, calming the storm within him: he wasn't marrying a star, he was marrying a force of nature, a supernova of passion and strength, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He wasn't just worthy of her, he was incredibly lucky. A slow, genuine smile spread across his face, erasing all doubt. He wouldn't ruin this.
“You threw up.” She stated when she reached him. More romantic words were never spoken.
“How can you tell?”
“You are paler than before, your left hand is shivering, not flinching, and I can smell what I think is a large amount of mint…You don’t have to be nervous, my love.”
She gently kissed him on the lips. It wasn’t orthodox, but what was in their lives?
The officiant, an old friend of Connor’s family, rolled his eyes in slight disapproval.
“Youngsters, maybe we could wait a few minutes before exchanging kisses? How about we start with something traditional, like the rings, for example.”
Connor chuckled and took out the ring; made with white gold, it featured an opal set in a delicate silver ring with a floral design. The opal was of a captivating shining blue with flashes of pink and green, displaying a mesmerizing play of light.
He gently took Merula’s left hand and slowly slipped the ring onto her finger.
“Should I tell you my vows, or should I wait for my ring?”
The girl couldn’t hold a smile “Don’t even think about stealing the scene, Gates.”
She held out a hand and conjured a little box out of thin air, she opened it and took out a ring.
The ring was made of polished gold, its surface shimmering with a warm, inviting glow. The band was of a starry blue, ranging from deep indigo to pale azure, reminiscent of the vastness of space. The blue stripes were arranged in a swirling pattern, reminiscent of the gravitational pull of celestial bodies.
“I told you that you were my star.”
She put the finger on his hand and kissed him again.
The officiant scoffed twice. “Please, now proceed to exchange vows…And refrain to kiss further until I give notice. There’s a protocol we should follow.”
Connor shook his head with a chuckle and gently intertwined Merula’s finger with his.
“The first time I saw you was at King’s Cross Station, and I legitimately couldn’t move for a few seconds, because I was too busy studying your eyes. You mesmerized since the first second I laid my gaze on you, and I’m really happy that we were able to establish a great friendship since the start.”
Laughter shook the hall.
“Sorry, had to say that.” Connor grinned and caressed Merula’s hands. “I…I can’t imagine my life without you. From the day we first kissed, we’ve been through so much I can’t believe you still want to be with me.”
“Vaults, quests for vengeance, years hunting down death-eaters, months hiding while those death-eaters were trying to take over England…And you never left. I don’t know how I got so lucky, so I don’t want to lose this. Merula, here and now I vow my life to yours. To this day until my last day.”
The girl simply smiled and brought his hands to her lips, brushing them with a kiss.
“Connor,” She started “I actually have no idea how to start this speech. I could begin by recalling all our fights, arguments and, why not, even death treats and insults that we exchanged in our first years at Hogwarts.”
A collective groan passed through the crowd.
“Or I could remind you of all the times I saved your ass and then tell a story about how I fell in love with the stupid kid from Gryffindor, but everyone would know that the last part would just be bullshit.”
“Didn’t he like…Saved her from the Cursed Ice?” Ben whispered to Penny.
“Sure, bud, now go tell her that on their wedding day when she’s making a speech.”
“So I’d just like to tell you when I finally knew that you were the one.” Merula smiled “It was during the first dinner party we had with the Black List Auror Department. You were talking with Ginley, your mentor, and you didn’t notice me sneaking up on you; he asked you if you were ready to die for your job, do you remember?”
Connor shrugged “I’m never gonna die: I’m invincible.”
More groans were born as Merula tried to stab his ribs with her hands.
“Anyway,” She went on through gritted teeth. “you said that you didn’t care too much because you were ‘not going to let some terrorists decide your fate’, remember that?”
“That’s so Connor.”
“I know.”
The boy grinned “It’s part of my charm.”
“But what you maybe don’t remember is what you said right after that.” She fixed her gaze onto his eyes. “You said…”
“Dying is easy.” Connor scratched his neck “There’s nothing hard about it: you just have to let go.”
Ginley laughed “So what, you don’t like easy?”
“Exactly. Fighting for something, or to get back to someone, it’s extremely hard, that’s why is so rewarding.”
“What about your girlfriend? Are you ready to die for her?”
Connor thought about it for a few seconds.
“I’m not ready to die for her, because I won’t. What I’m ready to do, is to burn the whole world down to get back to her. I don’t care how hard it’s gonna be, I’m never going to let something trivial like death to stop me from reaching her.”
“Connor, that answer was everything to me: I know I’m stubborn, inpatient, grumpy, and downright evil sometimes, but you never let that stop you from loving me. My love for you burns like those shining stars you adore so much, and my hope is that you’ll enjoy our life together just as much as I will.”
She smiled.
“I vow my life to yours. To this day until my last day.”
Connor bit his lip and turned towards the officiant. “I swear that if you are not going to marry us right now, I’m going to kiss her so hard you are going to throw us out.”
The man stiffened up and gritted his teeth. “Fine. Merula Snyde, do you take the hereby Connor Gates as your husband, in wealth and poverty, in sickness and in health?”
“I do.”
“And do you, Connor Gates, take the hereby Merula Snyde as your wife, in wealth and poverty, in sickness and in health?”
“I do.”
“Then I declare you husband and wife. Let magic be your marriage the most wonderful on earth. You can now kiss the bride.”
Merula smashed her lips against Connor’s before he could do anything; she pushed her body against his and hugged him as tightly as she could.
Her now husband was aware of the cheering and loud bangs that were resonating in the hall, but he didn’t care. Right now, the only thing he was concerned of, was that the most beautiful woman in the world, his guiding star, was there with him in his arms.
With the stars as their witnesses, they pledged their love, a promise that would shine brighter than any constellation in the heavens.