~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter Two~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Did Mr. Graves tell you what he wanted to do with the obscurus, once he found it?"
I shook my head.
I decided that, while on the topic of backstabbing, lying traitors, I would try and apologize for what had happened earlier. "I wasn't trying to kill you—back at the subway. You were just—"
"In your way?"
I nodded slowly, unsure of my answer.
"Why were you trying to attack Mr. Graves, if he said he was going to teach you magic?"
It took me a moment to decide what to say. I wasn't used to being asked all these questions. "He lied to me. After he thought he found what he wanted, he—he told me that I was unteachable." I stopped talking once I saw the black fog (obscurus, I guess it was called) wisp around my hands. Luckily, Mr. Scamander wasn't looking at me, and I was able to get it under control before he noticed. "I'm sorry—can we stop talking about this?"
"Of course, Credence." He unraveled the worn black and yellow scarf from his neck. Without saying a word, he wrapped it around me, his fingers lightly brushing the back of my neck.
To stunned to properly form words anymore, I muttered a stutter-y version of "thank you."
"Well, it is cold up there." He pointed up, but all I could see was the top of the case.
It's a lot nicer down here. I wanted to say, but, as I said, my brain refused to work properly, so I just nodded instead.
I couldn't stop running my hands over the material of the scarf. Despite looking years old, it was still soft and warm, and it smelt faintly of smoke and maybe lemon salt, but I don't think that Mr. Scamander was the type to smoke. Maybe it was from a fire of some sorts, or just from old age; either way, it didn't actually smell unpleasant. I wonder if he would want it back, or if this was him giving it to me. I decided not to ask for the time being.
"Why were you out at this time of night?" I asked after I got a handle on myself. It was a dumb question, and he could've easily asked me that, too.
"My niffler. He got loose again."
"Your...what?" I'm pretty sure I heard him wrong.
"Niffler. They're sort of like a platypus." He walked over to an opened shelf and gently took what I'm guessing was the creature out. "They're attracted to shiny things. You can hold him, if you'd like." He held it out to me, and I took it, trying to be as gentle with it as he was. At first, the creature just sat in my hands stared at me with its huge eyes, then it climbed up my body and made itself comfortable in my—Mr. Scamander's—scarf.
"I think he likes you. Either that or he's trying to rob you." He laughed, as if getting mugged by a creature less than one-tenth of your size was the funniest thing he's heard all week. I guess the thought was pretty laughable.
"I don't have anything for him to take, really." I held out my hands, as if to prove that I really wasn't worth stealing from, then remembered my many scars and quickly shoved them into my pockets.
I did sort of wish I still had Mr. Graves necklace. I would've given it to the creature. I suppose it's too late for that now.
"Then I think he likes you." I grinned lightly at the thought.
"How exactly could he get out of a place like this?"
"Nifflers can slip through tiny spaces pretty easily, so he probably slipped out when I wasn't watching. I'm hoping he decides to stay in here now."
"It must've been a pain to chase him through New York, if he could slip through cracks."
"Oh believe me, it was. The little bugger's lucky I still like him, after all the trouble he's caused. Think I tired him out now." I looked down, and sure enough, the niffler was fast asleep, his tiny paws up in the air.
Suddenly, I too felt very tired. I guess that was my adrenaline running out. I tried hard not to show it.
"Would you like to take a look at my other creatures? Or do you want to wait until tomorrow?" I wondered how many creatures could fit down in here. Probably a lot, if you could put in a whole shed.
"Tomorrow," I responded, my brain on autopilot. It would take me a while to register that the promise of tomorrow meant Mr. Scamander actually wants me around, despite what had happened earlier. When I did realize it, my body filled with fire, but a good kind, not a destructive kind.
"It's getting pretty late," He noted.
"What time?" I asked. I guess my tiredness included not being able to form proper sentences, or ones that made any sense.
"It's about two in the morning. Are you tired?"
I lied and shook my head.
"Well if you do get tired I have someone for you to stay for the night. Or morning, rather."
"You do?"
"Yeah, in the back of the shed." He gestured to a door in the back.
"What about you?"
"I think I'll try to find Tina. I'm pretty sure she followed me out here."
Was Tina the name of the woman who saved me from a beating? Who came to the subway to help me? Maybe that's someone else. I was too tired to ask. Maybe Mr. Scamander would introduce me to her. I would love to meet her.
I stood up. "Can I stay? Even though you'll be gone?"
"Yeah. My creatures shouldn't bother you." He opened a door in the back of the shed to reveal a small room. "Sorry if it's a little crowded."
"That's alright."
"Oh!" He said suddenly. He bounced over to me, as if he wasn't the least bit fatigued, and grabbed the niffler from its place around my neck. "You might not want to sleep in the same room as him."
I felt the scarf where the creature used to be. "Did you—did you want this back?"
"Hmm? Oh, no. You can have it."
I think I might have started crying. I've never been given something so nice. I thought about the necklace Mr. Graves had given me, but even that was no where as nice as this. Especially thinking about it now.
I'd never really had anything to protect me from the cold before, besides my suit jacket, and even that did an awful job at keeping the cold from seeping into my skin. It was nice to have something so soft and warm and colorful. All my life it has been dull blacks and grays and browns, so this is definitely a nice change of pace.
Don't be so selfish, I reminded myself, What about Mr. Scamander? "It's cold," I pointed up towards the high ceiling (would you call it a ceiling, if we were in a suitcase?).
"I'll be alright," He assured, turning to walk away.
When he was about a quarter way up the case, I decided to call back: "Thank you, Mr. Scamander!"
He turned back to face me, half of him still holding on to the ladder like some kind of badass, and smiled brightly. "Please, call me Newt."
I swear my heart might have stopped.
Okay so I may or may not have gotten carried away...again...and have to split part of what was going to be chapter two into chapter three.
I just have a lot of love for my boy Credence don't judge me.
Also I feel like this is a good time to say that this isn't Crewt, so if that's what you came here for, sorry, but I don't personally ship that (because age differences and stuff)
Newt and Credence are just gonna be very good friends. :)
Thanks for reading!
~All_The_Single_Hades ❤️