Chapter Text
Chapter 14
Finding True Love
At the church, with Bill walking Midnight down the aisle to the archway, many in the audience were confused at the presence of a matagot in the bride’s arm instead of the chosen bouquet. “Dear, why do you have a matagot?” Rakepick asked, not exactly friendly.
Her tone caused Star to tense up, growling until Midnight strokes her. “She stays with me.” Midnight says firmly, not backing down.
“Let’s just get this wedding over with.” Bill states before he took his place off to the side of the bride.
“Very well.” Rakepick takes her place off to the side of the groom. Barnaby reaches to take a hand but Midnight remains still, unmoving as she faces the bishop as he prepares himself by opening to the right page in the book. But both her and her guardian are also watching the sun.
Outside, the positioned guards are in a panic as Charlie’s dragons swarm Afein to allow the Peruvian Vipertooth to successfully land just beside the church. Now at their destination, Talbott slides off first as Penny promises Charlie if they need him, they’ll call for him. Once she slides off, her new beloved takes the fight to the guards as Penny hurries to get ahead of Talbott. “Now wait for a moment.”
“But Penny, I can’t wait anymore.”
“This is about timing. Once the bishop says the line of ‘those that oppose this union speak now or forever hold your peace’, that’s when you burst inside and yell ‘I object!’.”
“Penny, we can’t keep delaying…” she cuts him off, holding him in place to keep him from bursting inside too soon.
“You want to do this right since you love her?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to hold her?”
“Yes.”
“Please her right?”
“Yes! All I want now is to love her and hold her close!” Talbott exclaims, his heart racing at the thought of holding Midnight close.
“Then wait for me to give you the signal.” Penny steps closer to the double doors, listening closely through the narrow space. After a few speeches and after the exchanged vows, Penny grins once she heard the needed line.
Seeing the grin, Talbott waited patiently until she gave him the signal he needed. Taking hold of the handles, Talbott forces the double doors open and exclaims as he runs inside the church, Penny staying behind, “I object!”
At the sight of him, Midnight felt her heart leap as she let Star down but before she could leave the altar, Rakepick stood before her to prevent her from moving as Bill moved beside her. “What do you want now?”
Standing a few feet away from the altar, his red eyes set on Midnight’s cobalt pair, Talbott says as his gaze never left her, “I have something to tell you, Midnight.”
“What do you have to say to her?” Bill beats Rakepick from asking, making certain that the curse-breaker won’t plant the seeds of doubt within his charge.
“This place isn’t where you’ll find your chance of happiness. You won’t find it by marrying him.” Talbott starts.
“How do you know that? How can you know true love?” Midnight asks, just begging to hear what she needs to hear to confirm what she feels in her heart for him.
His cheeks grew red. Ignoring all of the watching eyes, Talbott takes a moment to calm himself then his gaze returns to her. “Princess Midnight Collins, I…” he was cut off when Rakepick somehow knew what he was going to confess.
“Oh, how precious. It would seem the animagus has fallen in love with the princess!”
Realizing what she’s doing, Bill quickly draws his wand, and points it at Rakepick. “Make fun of my friend again, you’ll regret it.” Rakepick’s henchmen had started to have second thoughts about the curse breaker.
Midnight sets her hand on his wand arm, bringing his arm down calmly but his glare remains. Keeping her guardian calm, Midnight turns back to Talbott, her eyes sparkled. “Talbott, is that true? You love me?”
He could see the hope in her soft gaze. But before he could answer, Rakepick interrupts him again. “Of course not and who cares! That’s preposterous for a beast to know love!”
Tuning out Rakepick, Midnight turns towards the window, looking at the setting sun. “By night, one way. By day, another.” Midnight repeats the spell before returning her gaze to the one that her heart belongs to. “I wanted to show you before.”
As she steps back, Talbott reaches out to her when Bill stops him, a soft, knowing smile across his face. Completely in the fading sun’s light, Midnight closes her eyes as she undergone the transformation once again, soon in her own midform, sporting a pair of cat ears upon her head, a cat tail swaying behind her closed legs, cat claws replacing her nails, and whiskers forming around her lips and nose.
Once her eyes reopen to reveal them as slitted like a cat’s, Talbott is amazed that Midnight is also an animagus, finding the cat features cute on her. But before Midnight could move from her spot, Rakepick exclaimed, “Guards, I order you all to remove these creatures from my sight!”
Bill rushes to get to Midnight as Star changes into her larger, feared form to stand protectively beside the princess, Talbott attempts to reach out to Midnight but the guards tore them apart. “Soon, animagus, as you rot in the dungeon, you’ll be begging death to claim you.” Her words only caused Talbott to fight back more, to get to Midnight, but the guards had begun to overpower him.
Then Liz, Barnaby, Merula and Ismelda suddenly turn against their master, drawing out their wands to fight off the guards. Rakepick took hold of Midnight, holding her close with a dagger held to her neck. “As for you, Princess,” sensing the immediate danger, Talbott fought to get to Midnight, yet the guards held him back, even Star couldn’t help as a guard pinned her down, “I’ll have you locked back up for the rest of your life, alone!”
There’s no way he’ll allow that! Once one arm is freed, Talbott lets out a loud whistle. In mere seconds, the Peruvian Vipertooth crashes through the stained glass windows of the church, Charlie and Penny seen mounted on the dragon. At the sight of the Dragon Wizard as his other dragons emerge inside, a few audience members screamed as the Peruvian Vipertooth swallowed Rakepick in one gulp.
Their Mistress dead, the guards release them and run away in fear of being eaten next. Taking note of the dragon shaking his head like he just ate something disgusting, Penny says with a smile as she strokes the side of the Peruvian Vipertooth’s head, “I’ll give you something else to get that bitter taste out.”
Giving his new love a grateful smile that she’s already caring for his dragons, Charlie turns to Talbott. “Go ahead, bud.”
A grateful grin to the two, Talbott then stands beside Midnight. “Midnight.”
She turns to face him. “Yes, Talbott?”
He takes her hands into his, his talons caressing her hands and her claws gently reply. “I love you.”
Her heart leapt at his words, a soft smile to him. “I love you too.” They leaned closer, their eyes closing as their lips met in a soft kiss, causing the audience to softly sigh, even Liz was awestruck.
As the kiss continued, a light forms around Midnight, Talbott holding her closer, no intention of letting her go. “This shall be the norm. Until you find true love and his kiss, then take love’s true form.” The words of the spell echo throughout the large room as the spell comes to an end as Midnight is turned into an animagus permanently.
Once the kiss ended, Midnight glanced down at her body, still sporting the features of a cat in her midform. “You alright, Midnight?” She hears Talbott ask her out of concern.
Her hands on his forearms, Midnight says with a hint of confusion. “I’m fine. I just…I’m supposed to be beautiful.”
His smile remained. “You are beautiful. And the cat features are cute.” This caused Midnight’s cheeks to go pink.
“I just love happy endings.” They hear Penny as Charlie holds her close.
Now back at the glade, they have a proper, outdoor wedding, Minerva McGonagall marrying Talbott and Midnight, the many fairytale witches and wizards as well as some of Afein guards had been invited, Bill and Charlie Weasley stand off to the side, Star perched on Bill’s shoulder and Penny held close to Charlie, joyful tears in her eyes. All of Charlie’s dragons were stationed around the glade.
I thought love was only true
in fairy tales
Meant for someone else,
but not for me
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment
haunted all my dreams
After their kiss as white flower petals now shower the area being conjured by a few witches, Talbott and Midnight skipped over to the carriage, Midnight tossing her bouquet over her shoulder. Many girls fought to catch the bouquet, but Penny easily caught the flowers. Returning to Charlie’s arms, Penny brought him closer to share a sweet kiss. They’ll be next to be married, according to tradition.
And then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer
And not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
Talbott salutes to Penny and Charlie, Midnight wishing her friends good luck for their marriage and their own bright future.
I'm in love
Ooh-ahh
I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her
If I tried
As the others waved the newly weds off, Filius Flitwick stepped out of the crowd, waving as well. “God bless us, every one.”
Come on, y’all!
Charlie sings out as he joins the Weird Sisters on the song, Penny leading the crowd in some dances.
Then I saw her face
Now I’m a believer
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
Once she was close to him again, Charlie wraps an arm around Penny’s shoulders, twirling together with Penny giggling.
I’m in love
Ooh-ahh
I’m a believer
I couldn’t leave her if I tried
Then I saw her face
Now I’m a believer
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
I’m in love
I’m a believer
Their smiles continue to grow as they watch the party from their carriage, Talbott and Midnight turn toward each other, sharing soft gazes before she scooch closer to her new husband to share a kiss full of nothing but love. As the song comes to a close, the carriage drives away, taking them to their designated honeymoon.