The first problem was that as they reached the door, the little girl started to scream, clinging to the boy's hand and refusing to move. Percival mentally cursed the fact he had ignored Tina's concern over the Barebone children.

His first instinct would have been to put the girl to sleep with a wave of his wand, but he knew that with the obscurial there, doing that could backfire horrifically. He crouched down beside the girl, holding out the photograph.

Her screaming stopped as she gazed at it curiously.
"Oh... yes, No-Maj pictures don't move, do they?" He handed it over to her. "This is Newt. He's safe now. He's staying with two of my friends. They are both lovely women, one of them is an expert at making pretty dresses..."

The girl stared down at her own ruined dress, swaying from side to side. The obscurial frowned a little, but looked at the picture in turn. The two children whispered to each other, and then the boy nodded, his eyes turning back to their normal colours. As he calmed, the celtic knot tattooed on his shoulder faded into view, the same as Newt had been branded with. The boy's wrists were ringed with scars, but the little girl's weren't. Percival couldn't help hoping that meant she hadn't been chained - she was frightened enough as it was, and she was only a child.

"It's only a few blocks." Percival told them. "We can walk, or we can apparate?"
"The spinning?" The little girl asked, and Percival nodded. The boy quickly shook his head and the little girl continued. "Please can we walk?"
"Of course." Percival answered. He smiled at the little girl. "Would you like me to carry you?"

She nodded, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and clinging, then waving one hand towards her brother. Credence squeezed her hand, walking beside the two of them.

"Do you have a name?" Percival asked her softly. She nodded, burrowing her face into his shoulder.
"'m Modesty."
"Well, come on then Modesty..." He carried her to the Goldstein's apartment, Credence still gripping the little girl's hand.

Percival could see the injuries on the boy's back, and the girl's face was bruised. She whimpered, but cuddled closer.
"When we get there, we're going to need to cast a couple of spells over you - we need to record the injuries, and then when we've got that, we can heal them..."

"You can stop her hurting?" Credence asked, the first words he had spoken since Percival had found them. His voice didn't sound human. There was a darkness to it that made Percival's skin crawl, but he smiled a little and nodded.
"We can. It's alright, just here-" He led them to the apartment.

The door swung open as he approached, and Queenie rushed out, holding her arms out towards Modesty.
"Let me..." She asked, cradling the girl as Percival handed her over. Credence frowned, and Percival reached out to him to calm him.
"This is Queenie... She isn't going to hurt her. I promise."
"Oh you poor dear, you're so hungry..." Queenie cooed. "There's going to be food soon, I promise..." She waved her wand. Credence tensed at the movement, but soon the food was floating through the air, and both children watched, hypnotised.

Percival cast the diagnostic spells quickly, trying to make this as painless as possible for both of them. He turned to Credence.
"May I cast the healing spells on you first? Then you can see what they are like?"

There was a moment of tension, before Credence nodded. Percival drew his wand, careful to broadcast every movement. He focused on healing every injury, a little sickened by what the diagnostic spells had shown. They had both been hurt a lot. The boy had several broken ribs, alongside the whipping marks, and he had been burned and scalded. The girl's injuries were similar. But she barely noticed the healing, too busy watching Queenie.

Percival was healing the last of the injuries when the door to the kitchen swung open. Newt stood there, wearing a pair of pyjamas, the niffler cuddled to his chest and the bowtruckle in his hair. Spot the unicorn was at his side as always. He smiled when he saw the other two, walking towards them.

Modesty saw first, wiggling out of Queenie's grip to run to Newt. She hugged him tightly, and Newt picked her up, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Newt was blinking back tears. Credence walked over.
"Newt?" He whispered softly.

"Credence..." Newt reached out, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Credence whimpered as tears started to run down his face. He held onto Newt, his fingers clutched in his shirt. The smoke was back, pouring off of the boy like water.

"It's alright" Newt mumbled, and Credence nodded, shivering in his grasp. "You can do this... you're safe. You're safe now..." Newt's voice was quiet, but there was certainty in his words. Percival met Newt's eyes and nodded, honored that Newt trusted him.

"Do you guys want to eat?" Queenie called out. "I've made quite a lot..."
Credence glanced at Newt, who nodded, and reached down for Modesty.

Modesty was distracted by Spot, who was nuzzling her hair. The young unicorn was looking a lot healthier than before.
"She likes you." Newt murmured, and Modesty smiled brightly, then skipped along to the table where Queenie had placed out the food. She squirmed slightly on the spot.
"'scuse me?" She whispered, and Queenie leaned in.
"What is it princess?"

"The man with a nice coat said you can make me a dress..." She mumbled. Queenie's eyes lit up and she nodded, turning to Percival.
“He does have a pretty coat, doesn’t he? Director, can you spin around so we can see your coat?”
Percival frowned, looking between Queenie and the little girl, and then sighed and spun on the spot. The girl giggled in delight, and he saw Newt smiling at him.

Queenie patted the girl’s hair.
"I can make you a dress. Now, what colours do you like, let's see, pink? Well pink is my favourite..."
Modesty giggled a little, squeaking as fabric wrapped around her. Credence watched, not touching his food, until Modesty was dressed and resumed her seat at the table.

Newt glanced towards Percival as the two children finally began to eat.
"Did you find him?"
Percival nodded.
"He's in custody." He tried not to notice how relieved Newt looked at that. Both children were eating hungrily, and Percival wondered when they had last been fed. He had known that Grimsditch was a monster, but he hadn't realised how bad he had been - what Newt had been through was hell, but the thought that he had starved children was somehow more sickening.

Newt turned to the children, gently resting a hand on Credence's shoulder. The boy leaned into the touch, sniffling a little, as though it was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
"Did Modesty turn?"

Credence shook his head, looking down.
"A few broken glasses and cracked plates. She made one of his cushions explode. But no."

Newt sighed in relief, ruffling Modesty's hair.
"I remembered what you tol' me Mister Newt." She mumbled. "Magic isn't a bad thing. Ma was wrong..."
"Good girl." Newt whispered. He turned to Percival. "He's wanted her to be an obscurial. Her sister ...her sister was."
"He killed her." Credence whispered. "He killed her because she... she got angry and she tried to save us and..."
"Credence." Newt's hand squeezed Credence's shoulder. "Chastity loved you. She tried to free you." He passed the niffler over, and it snuggled into Credence's lap. Credence patted the creature's fur carefully, fingers smoothing it out.

Credence nodded, and continued eating in silence. Soon both children had empty plates before them. Credence smiled, and Modesty's eyelids were beginning to close, her head lolling forwards from exhaustion. Queenie smiled at Modesty, addressing her next words to her.
"So, we need to work out where everyone is going to sleep... Do you three want to stay together?"
Newt nodded.

"I think that might be best. That way if they need anyone, I'll be right there."
"Okay sweetie. Mister Graves, they're all so tired-"
"They can rest." Percival agreed. The washing up was dealt with by a wave of Percival's wand, and he turned his attention to the two children.
"We'll make the couch a little larger." He decided. "That way the three of you can sleep there. In the morning Goldstein can bring you into MACUSA for an interview-" Seeing the fear in Credence's expression he smiled. "None of you are in trouble, I promise."

He stood up to leave, only for Queenie to clear her throat.
"Director Graves? Could you stay maybe?"
"What?"
"Stay." She said more firmly, her gaze drifting towards where Newt was curled up on the couch. "I think Newt would like you to stay."

Newt nodded, and Percival smiled.
"Well then, I'll stay." He transfigured a chair to make it more comfortable, settling down in it as the sisters headed to their room. Newt, the creatures and the children curled up together on the sofa in a tangle of limbs. Percival stayed awake, ready to wake them if any nightmares struck.

He didn't have long to wait, fear trailing out from Credence in thick curtains of black smoke, as beneath him Newt trembled. Percival called out to wake the boy and he pulled back down into himself, eyes white and terrified.

Newt glanced up at Percival and seemed to relax a little, some of the tension leaving his shoulders as he watched him. Percival nodded his approval, and Newt hummed softly to the children, settling them down to sleep.

Percival was just starting to drift off when Modesty screamed.