**Contains Secrets of Dumbledore Spoilers**

Theseus longed for the day he could exchange wedding vows with his chosen one.

He remembered attending the wedding of his parents' friends. Well, vaguely, but it was pretty. He was a year away from starting Hogwarts and Newt was still toddling around. He remembered holding Newt's hand very tightly so he wouldn't fall, because his legs looked so wobbly that he could have been blown over by the sea breeze. Occasionally, Theseus would tug at the bowtie around his neck, for it was a little too tight, but it was nothing he couldn't handle to look his best in front of the grown-ups. He watched as the bride and groom exchanged vows in front of the waves. The smell of the ocean, the wind in his hair, and he remembered the words the couple had said to each other exactly.

"To love and to cherish, until death do us part".

And it repeated in his head over and over again, because one day, he had hoped to say it to the girl of his dreams.

Eventually, the day that the words would leave his mouth was set: June 6, 1928. He met the love of his life and he was so excited to finally say the words he had kept so close to his heart to her. As the day drew closer, he practiced once everyday, and then twice, in front of a mirror, in the shower, while alone in the office, just to get it right. Yet, all that practice led up to nothing, because she had parted from him before the day arrived.

After that, Theseus never bothered with the words for a very long time.

He busied himself with Ministry duties, seeing as Grindelwald was still a major threat to the wizarding world. Days turned into months, and months turned into years. Then, he received an invitation to Queenie and Jacob's humble wedding in New York. He questioned the invitation, seeing as he wasn't as close to them as Newt was.

"You helped them," his brother had said, "You played a part in bringing them back together, and back home."

He noticed Newt's voice getting softer as he added, "And I'd like you to be there as well."

So that was how Theseus Scamander found himself watching Queenie and Jacob say the words to each other. The words he had longed to say, and he didn't know what to feel. On one hand, he was really happy for the couple to have finally found their way back to each other after all the pain they had been through. On the other hand, he felt his own pain lightly tug at the corner of his heart, slowly feeding him the memories of "what could have been"s with Leta.

He tried to ignore it as the wedding went on. Jacob gently unveiled Queenie and their eyes met, both filled with that sparkle of hope for the future. Leta would have been the one under the veil, waiting patiently for Theseus to unveil her under the moonlight, at the garden they had intended their wedding to be held at.

Queenie and Jacob shared their first kiss as an official couple and the rest of their little gang cheered. Leta would have felt embarrassed to be kissing in front of everyone, but Theseus didn't mind. He would have found it cute and endearing and he would tease her for hours after.

The married couple took their first dance as music from Lally's enchanted box filled the air. Leta would have been in his arms. His world would have been in his arms and they would have danced just as they did when they first met at the gala. And the dress she'd wear would have been beautiful.

Even Newt had finally mustered up the courage (with help from Jacob) to dance with Tina. Leta would have been so happy for him. She and Theseus would have been dancing off at the side, amusing themselves as they watched Newt's face turn red from having caught their eye.

It wasn't until someone tapped his shoulders that Theseus realised his body was in autopilot mode while his mind was someplace else. Somehow, he had moved from standing near the back of the bakery to sitting on one of the chairs, holding a wine glass in his hands.

"You alright, honey?"

With his soul adjusting back into his body, Theseus nodded and turned to whoever was talking to him. The blonde extended her hand towards him.

"I noticed you haven't danced yet and I told Jacob I would be outdancing him tonight," Queenie gestured towards her new husband as he led Lally to the makeshift dance floor, "Help me out with this?"

With nothing else to lose, Theseus took her hand, "Why not?"

Queenie grinned and led Theseus past Newt and Tina, Jacob and Lally, Bunty and Jacob's assistant, over to a corner of the bakery. Having been to many formal parties before, Theseus naturally positioned his hands on Queenie and let her take charge in the dance.

"You're a pretty good dancer," the new bride complimented.

"Well, a side benefit of being Head Auror is that you get a lot of practice," Theseus replied.

Queenie looked over to her sister and his brother, "Is that so?"

Theseus noticed and looked over too. To everyone else, the pair seemed to be enjoying their limited time together, yet Theseus knew Newt's heart was probably exploding out of his chest as he observed Newt almost step on Tina's foot. He chuckled, "Don't worry, Newt's been trained for this."

"By Leta?"

As soon as she mentioned her name, Queenie felt Theseus' movements stiffen.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry," Theseus tried to smile, "Newt told me about you. 'People's easiest to read when they're hurting', he said. I must have been quite loud today. Sorry about that. Ruining your happy night with my sad thoughts and all."

Queenie kept the dance going, doing her best to loosen him up, "Oh, don't be sorry at all, Theseus. I know how much it hurt you to hear me and Jacob exchange vows."

Before Theseus could speak, Queenie said, "And don't apologise for that either. I'm not affected by it."

Theseus closed his mouth, slowing down the dance to match the tempo of the music. While he said nothing, Queenie could feel his mind start to drift out again, just as it did for most of the wedding. Trying to keep him grounded, Queenie continued talking.

"I know how hard it is to lose someone you love. My ma and pa died when Tina and I were kids, and I would give anything to just hug them again. I didn't think I would meet anyone I felt so much love for ever again. I had Tina, but it always felt like I wasn't whole. Then I met Jacob."

Theseus noticed Queenie turn her head slightly to Jacob, who gave her a small wave as he danced with Lally. She chuckled and shifted her attention back to Theseus.

"He's different," she said, "Well, literally since he's a No-Maj, but he's special. He gave me a different kind of love. It never truly replaced the one my parents gave me, but it made me happy. He made me happy."

The music faded out and Theseus and Queenie slowed to a stop. The legilimens took a second to stare at her dance partner, whose brows furrowed. She giggled.

"What I'm trying to say is," Queenie reached out to straighten Theseus' bowtie, who she noticed seemed to tug at it a few times during the ceremony, "Leta will never be replaced, but you will find someone who will make you happy, and I know it."

The music's tempo started going faster and Queenie took her cue to leave to have fun with the others (mainly Jacob and Lally, the dance experts), who were gesturing for her to come over. As he watched Queenie sync up with the Ilvermony professor's dance moves, Theseus hoped she could hear his mental 'thank you'. He spotted Newt making his way towards him, knowing that this type of music wasn't his cup of tea.

"Theseus, you alright? Did Queenie dig out all my embarrassing moments from your head to tell Tina about?"

"Yeah," Theseus nodded, not entirely hearing Newt's question as he patted his younger brother's back, "I'm going to head outside for a while. Be right back."

Consumed in his thoughts, Theseus walked on, not realising his brother's face pale. He stepped onto the snowy pavement, and the music drowned out as the door closed behind him. The cold air pierced his face but it was nothing compared to the memories piercing his heart.

He missed Leta everyday. To say he stopped thinking of her was just a big, fat lie to himself. He remembered when the grief was still fresh. Every night, he had the same nightmare of not being able to save her as she made her way towards Grindelwald, as the fires swept her up like she was nothing. Some nights, it got so bad that he would head over to Newt's house just to hang out, even watching him tend to his creatures as a form of distraction.

While the nightmares had faded over the years, occasionally, when he was left dangerously alone to his thoughts, they'd come back to haunt him, like ghosts hovering over his head, each fighting to enter and drag him back into the sea of "what if"s. He never forgot the look of anguish and sorrow on her face as she turned to say her last words to him. Yet, in some way, he sensed a hint of relief from her before the fire disintegrated her body into nothing but ashes.

And he tried to replace them with happier "what ifs", like going home to her in their new home, having dinner together with Newt, having their wedding at that garden she loved so much. He never stopped imagining her walking down the aisle, looking as gorgeous as ever, and when they finally met, he would have been staring into the most beautiful pair of eyes he's ever seen. They'd exchange vows, and he finally would have said the words to her.

But perhaps, even without saying the vows, Leta already knew.

"I love you."

The last thing she said to him, and the last time he heard her voice.

Theseus gazed up at the night sky. There were barely any stars, or they were just no match for the dazzling street lights that lit up New York. Yet, he managed to spot just the one in the sky after much squinting and focus. It shone dimly, but with enough staring, it became the brightest (and only) star in the black canvas of space. Theseus scanned the area as discreetly as he could. Inhaling, he brought his hands close to his chest, interlocking his fingers together. He closed his eyes and muttered under his breath.

"To love and to cherish..."

He opened his eyes to catch a tiny snowflake falling right in front of him. It drifted gracefully, changing directions every second, but it knew where it was going, for it landed softly on his ring finger. He felt a quick, cold sensation as the snowflake melted into a little drop of water. It sent a chill down his arm and into his heart, and somehow, it zapped away the pain in his chest.

Theseus had smiled many times during the wedding, but the one he had now was the only one he didn't have to make an effort for. Lifting his hand up to his lips, he planted a gentle kiss on the area where the snowflake had landed.

"And until we meet again."