Newt knew that Credence had killed of course. Twice. It was a big reason why the American Ministry of Magic had worked very hard to kill him. It was why even now, an ocean away, it wasn’t safe to let Credence out of the suitcase. The story of the destruction of New York was still filling the papers of Europe with lurid details and endless speculation. There were moving pictures of Credence turning from human to obscurial on the front page of every major paper across the Continent. It would be a long while before the furor would die down.
But Credence was right, he needed to learn magic and soon. Without some outlet for his strengths the temptation to return to miasma of violence would eventually overcome him. He was getting stronger, now. More restless. Adventure novels and creature feedings weren’t going to be enough when the magic overfilled him again. In the mean time it was Newts job to prevent Credence from feeling ashamed of the wild magic pouring off of him — which was a great deal harder than it sounded.
“Right,” said Newt, the next morning when, triggered by nothing Newt could fathom, a lamp unexpectedly flung itself at a wall. “We really can’t put it off any longer or you are going to erupt. I have to go to Hogwarts. If all goes well, I’ll bring a visitor here to see you.”
“Hogwarts?” said Credence. The bits of lamp pulled themselves up from the floor and reassembled in almost the correct places. “Mr. Graves said Hogwarts was a wizarding school. Will I be learning magic soon?”
“You must,” said Newt.
“But why can’t you teach me?”
“Because I’m rubbish. Weren’t you there when I said that? I don’t know who else I would have said that to.” Newt fretted nervously about, summoning a mirror and checking his appearance. The hair was tidy enough, no breakfast on his face. He sniffed his sleeve and hoped the fact that he couldn’t smell any of the animals on himself was because he didn’t smell and not because he’d gone nose blind.
Credence followed him about doggedly. “So, I’ll be going to Hogwarts?”
Newt cringed, and slowly turned to face Credence’s hopeful face. Credence, seeing his expression looked absolutely crushed for a moment, but then ducked his head down and away, understanding what Newt couldn’t say.
Newt couldn’t imagine Hogwarts taking in Credence. He was far too old and even if he weren’t he was wanted for killing muggles, something Hogwarts allowed no leniency whatsoever over. Furthermore, the place was unforgivingly strict about so many nuisancy rules that Credence was unlikely to thrive there even if for some unimaginable reason they did accept him. He’d turn back into an obscurial out of sheer frustration.
“I was thinking more along the lines of finding you a tutor.”
Before Credence could ask anything else, he pushed on. “Now, Hogwarts won’t let me apparate in, so I’ll have to actually carry the case there, which means you’ll be on your own again for a while. Do you think you can hold yourself together?”
The lamp rearranged itself again, bone china undulating like jelly, the pattern running and muddying. Newt eyed it suspiciously but Credence didn’t seem to even notice.
“Can I at least see Hogwarts?” Credence sounded so childishly wistful that Newt’s heart broke and he almost said “of course,” before thankfully good sense got hold of him.
“I — perhaps. We’ll see.”
Credence sighed, resignedly, and returned to his bunk.
Behind him, the thing — not a lamp anymore — settled down on the end table. It was melted lumpy thing that resembled a toad more than anything else. Thankfully the room was lit by an ever-glow spell, because that lamp was never going to do anything practical again. With any luck the rest of the suitcases furniture wouldn’t end up similarly rearranged before a solution was found.
Re: newt/credence, credence accompanies newt- FILL 5/?
But Credence was right, he needed to learn magic and soon. Without some outlet for his strengths the temptation to return to miasma of violence would eventually overcome him. He was getting stronger, now. More restless. Adventure novels and creature feedings weren’t going to be enough when the magic overfilled him again. In the mean time it was Newts job to prevent Credence from feeling ashamed of the wild magic pouring off of him — which was a great deal harder than it sounded.
“Right,” said Newt, the next morning when, triggered by nothing Newt could fathom, a lamp unexpectedly flung itself at a wall. “We really can’t put it off any longer or you are going to erupt. I have to go to Hogwarts. If all goes well, I’ll bring a visitor here to see you.”
“Hogwarts?” said Credence. The bits of lamp pulled themselves up from the floor and reassembled in almost the correct places. “Mr. Graves said Hogwarts was a wizarding school. Will I be learning magic soon?”
“You must,” said Newt.
“But why can’t you teach me?”
“Because I’m rubbish. Weren’t you there when I said that? I don’t know who else I would have said that to.” Newt fretted nervously about, summoning a mirror and checking his appearance. The hair was tidy enough, no breakfast on his face. He sniffed his sleeve and hoped the fact that he couldn’t smell any of the animals on himself was because he didn’t smell and not because he’d gone nose blind.
Credence followed him about doggedly. “So, I’ll be going to Hogwarts?”
Newt cringed, and slowly turned to face Credence’s hopeful face. Credence, seeing his expression looked absolutely crushed for a moment, but then ducked his head down and away, understanding what Newt couldn’t say.
Newt couldn’t imagine Hogwarts taking in Credence. He was far too old and even if he weren’t he was wanted for killing muggles, something Hogwarts allowed no leniency whatsoever over. Furthermore, the place was unforgivingly strict about so many nuisancy rules that Credence was unlikely to thrive there even if for some unimaginable reason they did accept him. He’d turn back into an obscurial out of sheer frustration.
“I was thinking more along the lines of finding you a tutor.”
Before Credence could ask anything else, he pushed on. “Now, Hogwarts won’t let me apparate in, so I’ll have to actually carry the case there, which means you’ll be on your own again for a while. Do you think you can hold yourself together?”
The lamp rearranged itself again, bone china undulating like jelly, the pattern running and muddying. Newt eyed it suspiciously but Credence didn’t seem to even notice.
“Can I at least see Hogwarts?” Credence sounded so childishly wistful that Newt’s heart broke and he almost said “of course,” before thankfully good sense got hold of him.
“I — perhaps. We’ll see.”
Credence sighed, resignedly, and returned to his bunk.
Behind him, the thing — not a lamp anymore — settled down on the end table. It was melted lumpy thing that resembled a toad more than anything else. Thankfully the room was lit by an ever-glow spell, because that lamp was never going to do anything practical again. With any luck the rest of the suitcases furniture wouldn’t end up similarly rearranged before a solution was found.