Book I - The Drew Grindelwald Series

11. Corvus' Story

"That went better than expected" He admitted, I was glad.

"Guys, where is Leta?" Tina suddenly realized I looked around and Leta had disappeared.

"Of course she would sneak away" I groaned annoyed.

"I assume we're going to the same thing anyway" Newt deduced, and he was right. We were on our way to the Lestrange tombe.It was nearby, thankfully.Once we entered it we heard multiple voices speak, we entered the room revealing Jacob - who was standing against a wall looking scared. Credence who looked uncomfortable and sad, with a snake protecting him. Kama was there as well, alive and not looking ill anymore, Leta was facing him.

"Is that really you? My little sister?" Kama asked.So it was this Kama, Leta had told me years earlier about him, she never had the chance to meet him.

"So he's your brother? Who am I?" Credence asked pleadingly.

"I don't know" Leta admitted, I felt for the boy. I had no clue who he could be either.Credence pushed himself past Leta to face Kama unprotected.

"I'm tired of living with no name and no history. Just tell me my story - then you can end it" the boy pleaded, I felt a huge amount of sadness radiating from him, poor kid.

"Your story, is our story" Kama started, e gestured to Leta.

"No, Yusuf-" Leta tried interrupting him, he ignored her.

"My father was Mustafa Kama, a pureblood of Sénégalese descent and most accomplished" Kama started telling. Leta looked at me desperately, asking with her eyes what she should do.Next to her I was the only one who knew the truth, we knew why Credence was not related to her.
I couldn't do anything except letting him talk.

"My mother Laurena was equally high-bred - a noted beauty. They were deeply in love. They knew a man of great influence, from a famous french pureblood family. He desired her"

Leta was slowly backing away walking towards me. Whatever would happen soon, her secret would most likely come out and we both didn't know how everyone in this room would reactKama continued,

"Lestrange used the Imperius Curse to seduce and abduct her... that was the last time I ever saw her. She died, giving birth to a little girl" He turned towards Leta,

"You"

I could see tears gathering in Leta's eyes, so much guilt was radiating from her."The news of her death drove my father insane. With his dying breath, my father charged me to seek revenge. Kill the person Lestrange loves best in the world... I thought at first it would be easy... he had only one close relative.. you. But-"

"Say it" Leta cut him off, her eyes were sad, I really wanted to hug her but knew it wasn't my place.

"He never loved you" Kama confirmed,

"He remarried not three months after her death. He loved her no more than he had loved you.. but then his son Corvus was born at last. And that man who had never known love was filled with it"

This moment was the worst for having the ability to feel how everyone was feeling. I got bombarded by many guilty and sad feelings and I felt it was affecting me big time. My hands started shaking and I quickly put them in my pocket.

"All he cared about was little Corvus" Kama finished.

"So... this is the truth? I am Corvus Lestrange?" Credence asked hopeful.

"Yes" Kama confirmed when Leta answered,

"No"I looked at the woman, her eyes were unfocused as the memories had haunted her nightmares for years.

"Realising that Mustafa Kama's son had sworn revenge, your father sought to hide you where I couldn't find you. So he confided you to his servant, who boarded a ship for America" Kama continued not being done with everything yet.

"He did send Corvus to America, but-" Leta tried but Kama cut her off again.

"His servant, Irma Dugard was a half-elf. Her magic was weak and therefore left no trace I could follow. I only just discovered how you had escaped when I received the news I never expected.... The ship had gone down at sea... but you survived, didn't you?" Kama turned towards Credence who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Somehow someone had pulled you from the water! 'A son cruelly banished Despair of the daughter Return, a great avenger with wings from the water.' There" He pointed at Leta.

"Stands the despairing daughter. You are the winged raven returned from the sea, but I - I am the avenger of my family's ruin" Kama raised his wand, towards Credence.

"I pity you, Corvus. But you must die"I felt my eyes tearing up, Leta looked so desperate.

"Corvus Lestrange is already dead. I killed him" She yelled in agony at Kama before he was about to do something to Credence.Only Leta and I had known this secret, now everyone in the room knew.
Leta rose her wand,

"Accio!" a heavy box hidden in the corner of the mausoleum came crashing to her through the dust.
A series of clicks as cogs whirred... puzzle-like, it fell apart.

"My father owned a very strange family tree. It only recorded the men. The women in my family were recorded as flowers. Beautiful. Separate." Leta started telling, out the box a tree with an orchid-like flower grew showing the family tree.

"My father sent me to America, along with Corvus. Irma was to pose as a grandmother with two grandchildren. Corvus never stopped crying. I never wanted to hurt him. I only wanted to be free of him. Just for a moment..." Leta's voice was filled with emotions, she was sitting on the ground staring at the family tree with tears in her eyes.

"Just a single moment." Her voice broke.

"You didn't mean to do it, Leta. So it wasn't our fault" Newt tried calming his friend. She turned towards him,

"Oh, Newt. You never met a monster you couldn't love" They looked at each other, it was sad how true that was.

"Leta?" Tina asked, I looked up in surprise at the auror.

"Do you know who Credence really is? Did you know when you swapped them?"It was silent, everyone in the room wanted to know this.

"No." Leta confirmed, only now everyone listened to her. Credence had tears in his eyes, he had been so close and now he was far away again.Suddenly an opening appeared in the wall of the mausoleum.
The sound of a gigantic crowd was rumbling beneath us, it seemed to be coming from the stairs in the opening.

"Queenie?" Jacob called out, before anyone could stop him he ran down the stairs.