The Muggle's Rebirth

[ March 30, 1973 ]

What's the beauty of transfiguration and illusion magic? You can literally make anything out of nothing. And when there's not just one mage, but an entire coven willing to help newlyweds and get drunk at their wedding for it, you don't need to invest any money at all and get a celebration stunning in its scale. That's exactly what happened this Saturday morning. Since I couldn't use magic yet, I was busy getting my familiar in order.

"Dorothy, don't fidget!" I said to the girl whose long hair I was brushing. 

Actually, veela hair is quite expensive ingredients for creating potions and wand cores, but only voluntarily given ones work. If you cut hair by force or from a corpse, the potion turns into poison, and such a wand is more likely to blast its owner. 

That's why some veela in difficult financial situations sell their hair, but it's not encouraged. Just like prostitution or seducing men with charms isn't encouraged. If you draw an analogy with ordinary people — it's like getting a guy drunk because you can't attract him any other way.

"I want to go down, pee! It's fun there, pee-pee!" Dorothy learned to talk quite quickly, after all I was teaching her to read, and the mental connection helps. However, she hasn't completely given up on "pee."

"You and I will go down for the ceremony itself, so be patient, pee-pee. Damn, she's infected me too!" 

However, she's sitting still for now, but getting this little devil into a dress was quite a task. This created a sudden problem, since Dorothy felt no discomfort from nudity. Being a fairy, she was covered by petals - essentially part of her body, and as a nymph she was basically just born. So this little ass is always trying to undress. I have to hang illusions on her, but today she's supposed to be clothed. 

Someone knocked on the room.

"Yes, come in," I allowed.

"Are you ready?" It was mom, in her wedding dress. Not white, but according to veela traditions — in a red-gold dress to the ankles with quite a deep neckline and open back. As a tribute to the tradition of entering fire in harpy form during the veela coming-of-age sacrament, which I still have ahead of me at 15. Though I might avoid it. "I see that you are. You look so beautiful today! You'll make a wonderful couple!"

"Mom, this is a fake engagement. Are you starting again?" For some reason, Ariel developed such feelings specifically for Dorothy. Interestingly, there was nothing like this with Apolline.

"Everything fake can become real over time," she waved her hand dismissively. Like, kid, you don't understand anything. "Alright, let's go downstairs, everyone's been waiting!"

The veela didn't mess around and built an entire pavilion with a long table right on the main street. Both the white rectangular long pavilion with an arched roof and the houses around were decorated with flowers, vines, lanterns and many illusions of various colorful birds, animals and fairies — after all, most veela were graduates of Beauxbatons, where the school of illusions is particularly strong. 

Inside there were already two long tables separated by a red carpet at the end of which stood a platform, on which stood the formal veela elder — an elderly woman who looked about fifty, but was actually 120, veela live even longer than wizards. Why formal? 

Because all decisions in the coven are made by the veela council, which recently invited Ariel, but she declined for now, citing work commitments. And the elder is responsible for conducting such celebrations. 

She stood in a closed golden dress on the elevation. Next to the elder stood Ludwig with Dorothy standing beside him as his witness. His parents didn't appreciate their son's bride and categorically refused to come. Many people were looking at Dorothy herself, since they were seeing her for the first time and didn't know where she came from. 

Ariel and I stood on the opposite side, and to solemn music I took her hand and led her to Ludwig, transferred her hand to his and stepped to the right.

"We are all gathered here to witness the marriage of our sister and her chosen one. For every veela this is a special event, as we rarely find men worthy of this, but when it happens, it's usually for life. As the elder of Veilon, I have the right to perform marriages. But marriage must be a voluntary matter, and therefore I must ask — Ludwig von Schroder, is your decision to marry Ariel Marlow voluntary?"

"Yes," answered my future stepfather. And I thought the question was right, considering the existence of love potions, charms like imperius, and simply veela aura. 

I myself was searching with my eyes for Apolline and Jacqueline with Alan, since they helped mother with the organization, and finally found them. Apolline was sitting with Delacour. Well, that's their business, I've already let the girl go somehow. If she wants to avoid me, that's her business. Though a nasty residue still remained.

"Ariel Marlow, is your decision to marry Ludwig von Schroder voluntary?"

"Yes," mom answered with a happy smile. 

I also noticed in the front rows of invited guests who arrived by portkey Hayato, Saiga, Ma Kensei and Shizuka with Miyu — the baby was sleeping sweetly in her mother's arms, covered with silencing charms. Next to them sat Phineas, who was supposed to speak a little later.

"If there are those among those present who are against this marriage, then either let them speak about it, or remain silent forever," Naturally, no such people were found. "So be it. I pronounce you husband and wife! And now you may exchange rings!"

I took from the stand a beautiful lacquered box, inside which were two golden rings. And not simple ones, but artifacts I made a month ago based on Sumerian and modern magic. 

Not only were they portkeys and could transport to the spouse both by desire and when wounded or losing consciousness, were beacons and danger-warning artifacts, but they also had the same functionality as my ring, that is, the stone changed and could be used for both protection and attack. 

Besides this, they were blood and aura-bound, so no one except them could use the rings. The height of my abilities in artifacting at the moment. I even had to take a non-disclosure agreement from Ludwig about the functions of this ring, since a death clause was also included. 

Ludwig and Ariel put the rings on each other's ring fingers, where they adjusted and flashed with bright light, indicating that the rings were far from simple. After this they kissed to applause, tears and screams from the surrounding crowd, mostly single women, so their reaction is understandable.

"Before we begin the festive meal," began mom, flushed after the long kiss.

 "I would like to announce another significant event in our family. As you know, Mr. Black is a good friend of our family and mentor to my son, and I would like to first give him the floor so he can tell about the addition to his family!"

"Thank you, Ariel," Black showed his attitude toward my family with one sentence, calling mom by name. "Dear ladies and gentlemen, taking advantage of this celebration of the union of two souls, I would like to present my adopted daughter Dorothy Black!"

At first there was silence, and then people began clapping louder and louder. What difference does it make what to drink for, right? And two celebrations are even better than one. Unlike wizards, veela were uninhibited and therefore didn't restrain their feelings. But the invited reporters were clicking cameras like mad. Some wedding of a little-known wizard and even a widely popular in narrow circles inventor-veela wasn't particularly interesting to them, but the fact that a representative of a dark family, even if exiled, adopted a veela — oh, now that they would savor.

"Thank you, thank you," mom calmed everyone with a voice amplified by charms. "But that's not all. Besides this, we would like to announce the engagement of my daughter, Dorothy Black, and my student, Arthur Marlow!"

"What? No! How could you?!" Apolline, to my surprise, burst into tears and ran away, but this didn't spoil the general mood of the celebration. Rather, it added its own spice and gossip about unrequited love.

"What's wrong with your daughter?" I asked, approaching Jacqueline after I pushed through the congratulations.

"Nothing," she answered melancholically. "My daughter is just a fool."

"In what sense?" I didn't understand.

"She decided that if she ignored you, you would definitely come to her yourself to find out the reason, would be inflamed with feelings and interest. I told her that your character isn't like that and it wouldn't work, but she didn't listen. A teenager, she knows better," Grabbing an olive with her fork and sending it to her mouth, she continued. "She even got Patrick to help her. And when nothing worked out, she came to the wedding with Delacour to make you jealous. And here you are with your engagement."

"I see, that turned out badly," I could only shrug my shoulders.

"Won't you run to comfort her?"

"And how would that look? Besides, I've already burned out myself and I have no desire to play childish games. She'll get over it herself, you'll see."

"You're right," Jacqueline smirked. "I was the same at her age, so don't worry and go to your fiancée, she's standing there lost surrounded by other veela."

"Well done, student," I didn't manage to reach my familiar, I was intercepted by smiling Hayato, who showed me a thumbs up. "You don't waste time!"

"Oh, you too?" I rolled my eyes. "But thank you for coming, I'm pleased to see you at the celebration."

"What are you talking about? We're one family!" Out of the corner of my eye I noticed satisfied master Ma, who had picked up a laughing veela somewhere and was probably whispering some obscenities in her ear. "How could I not come?"

"Look at Kensei," I said. "He's not wasting time either. Maybe you'll follow his example?"

"You know what?" the giant grinned slyly. "You're right, student! I've never seen so many beautiful women in one place in my life!"

"Haha, good luck teacher!"

I was really happy for Hayato's family as if it were my own. Watching Hayato go to the veela undressing him with their eyes, sensing his magical and physical power, how Ma Kensei runs after women, how Shizuka gives Saiga a slap on the back of the head for staring at someone else's girl, how Ariel and Ludwig coo in a corner, and Phineas with a light smile sipping wine watching all this, I understood that this is real life. 

And it's precisely to preserve this idyll that it's worth becoming stronger. The only thing that personally spoiled the celebration for me was Apolline's stunt. And she had every chance to become my first wife if she had behaved normally. But I don't need such hysterics and mood swings, I like women like Ariel. Who will follow you through fire and water and you don't think about what she'll do next time, living like on a volcano. 

So I went to rescue Dorothy from the crowd of curious women who were ready to tear anyone apart for an extra bit of gossip.

…

In the end, the celebrations ended only late at night, when the last two veela crawled out together with Hayato and singing songs in two different languages, which didn't embarrass them at all, went to the dormitory. 

I saw Apolline later, tear-stained and in Delacour's arms, thinking that it would be even better this way. If I had run to look for her, I would not only have given her a chance, but also caused a lot of gossip. Patrick wanted to approach me several times, but didn't dare. 

And I, after sitting the required time at the table and eating my fill, went with Dorothy to finish drawing the ritual circle for the marriage ritual in full Sumerian form. Not for me, naturally, but for the newlyweds.

"Well, are you ready?" I asked at night in the basement, which was lit only by candlelight. "Did you memorize the words?"

"Yes, we're ready, we're ready, you're asking for the third time already," Ariel laughed in a single cotton cloak that could be thrown off with one movement. Ludwig was in the same.

"Well then, good luck to you," I left and closing the door behind me went upstairs. The marriage ritual involved not just a circle and charms, but ritual sex, so I would definitely be superfluous there.

***

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Thank you for the help with the power stones!!!