To Protect

A/N: Hello everyone! Writing from Credence's POV was something I found very challenging to do, as we don't see a lot of him in the movie before his untimely death. I tried my best.

I know that literally everyone has written an alternate ending to this movie where Newt gets more hurt and/or Credence survives, but every person writes differently and I've read many different fics/oneshots with similar plots, and they are all wonderful and unique in their own way.

Enjoy!

Part I

Credence slammed through the solid brick road and smashed into the subway tunnel below. The dark mass of suppressed magic left a gaping hole in its wake as it spiraled through the empty tunnels. It finally stopped against a wall. Credence pressed himself (or the shreds of black, swirly smoke that was left of him) against the cold brick, hoping to sink through and disappear forever. Tears streamed down his face.

After years of abuse and abandonment, he thought he had found his way out. He had found a person who didn't spit on him and call him a freak, who didn't leave angry red welts across his back every time they spoke. He had long ago given up on his life, and given up on humanity in turn. He had resigned himself to a horrible life full of pain and self-loathing.

Meeting Mr. Graves was the best thing that had ever happened to Credence. Or so he thought. He was desperate for someone, something, out there to prove that his Ma was wrong. That he wasn't a child of the devil. That he didn't deserve the beatings that he got. Finally, there was an out. There was a chance that perhaps he was different that most people. That maybe he wasn't a freak. He had even started to trust Graves a bit.

But like always, any sort of trust or hope Credence had placed in another human being had completely backfired. Graves didn't care about Credence. He cared about how he could use Credence to his advantage. Just like Ma didn't care about Credence. She only cared about how she could use him to her advantage. Just like how nobody cared about Credence, they just cared about what they could use him for. And since Credence was useless, he didn't deserve to live. He deserved the beatings he got. He deserved the mean, ugly words and the harsh stares.

Curling in on himself, Credence began to slowly shift back into human form. He was nothing but an empty shell. All he could do was destroy. All he could do was bring people misery. All he could do was suffer.

The sound of footsteps snapped him out of his self-loathing. He tensed, ready to uncoil the horrible bubbling black mass and strike. Out of the shadows appeared a man. He was wearing a bright blue coat, which struck Credence as odd because he had only ever seen people wear dark, drab clothing. Colorful clothing was extravagance, something that Ma had labeled as a grievous sin. The man had reddish-brown hair and calm, honest eyes. Credence was still wary.

"Credence." The man had a soft voice and a heavy British accent. That also struck Credence as odd. Foreigners didn't come to New York often. He tilted his chin ever so slightly, trembling and trying to decide whether or not to whisk himself away again. "Credence, can I come over there?" the man asked.

Credence was so shocked that some of the swirling mass of black calmed and disappeared. No one had ever asked if they could come over to him. They always came right over to cuff him on the face or pull the belt from around his waist to use it on his back. No one cared about his personal space, or his human dignity. They trampled all over him. And so even though Credence's fight-or-flight- instincts were screaming FLIGHT, he stayed still just a second longer.

Then something amazing happened.

The wizard (that's what he was, Credence concluded, seeing his wand) took the thin piece of wood that Credence had developed a deathly fear of, and set it down.

He set the wand down. His only source of protection (or escape) from Credence was being thrown away. He had made himself completely vulnerable. Credence could kill him right now if he wanted to. But he didn't. And maybe the wizard had known he wouldn't. But for someone to throw away their only source of protection and step closer to the monstrous Credence Barebones… that had never happened before.

"Can I come over there?"

The request was repeated. A request, not a demand. Credence watched him through puffy, narrowed eyes. This man must have an angle. They all had an angle. Humans were greedy, malicious creatures. They cared nothing for you if you didn't have something they wanted. So what did this man want from him? What was his angle?

The man took a step forward, and Credence flinched. All of the sudden, a flash of lightning came out of nowhere and struck the red-haired wizard in the chest. He flew backwards at least eight feet before landing on his back on the railroad tracks. As Graves came running out of the shadows, Credence took off. He was too scared to shift back into his Obscurial form, because he didn't know what he might do.

When he had first run from Graves, he hadn't cared about who he injured or killed. He just wanted to run, run, run away and punish everyone who had ever hurt him. But all of the sudden Credence felt the need to remain in control. He didn't want to hurt the man who had put down his wand and spoken softly. He didn't know why. His brain couldn't process any of the choices he was making as he ran away, footsteps echoing as his worn-out shoes pounded against the train tracks. He saw another flash of light and heard someone yell in pain. The British man, Credence thought.

All of the sudden Credence looked up and came face to face with the headlights of a train. Frozen in panic, he could only watch as his death came nearer and nearer. This was it, a sweet release from all of his suffering. But at the last possible second, some magical force lifted him and tossed him out of the way. He stood frozen where he stood, body trembling and his mind a mess of panic. Graves appeared around the corner, and shot a bolt of lightning directly at him.

Before Credence even had time to think about moving, a blue blur jumped in front of him and deflected the hit. Graves shot more lightning, wand flashing through the air as his strokes came fast and deadly. The wizard in blue managed to block them all, but just barely. Credence could do nothing but watch the situation with frenzied eyes, barely registering what was going on. He could feel the magic inside of him, fighting for control of his body. He fought back as hard as he could, muscles spasming wildly as he fought for control of his own nervous system.

Finally, Graves got tired of throwing lightning. With just a flick of his wrist he magically yanked the train tracks out of the ground and sent the heavy steels beams and pounds of heavy brick flying towards the British man. The Brit never had a chance, having just dodged a lightning bolt two seconds earlier. The metal and brick hit him with a sickening sound and he was again thrown backwards several feet, where he landed harshly on the ground. He did not get up.

Graves immediately took advantage of the other wizard's pain and disorientation to re-engage his lightning attacks. The first one hit the red-head straight on, and he grunted in pain. His body spasmed and his shaking hands tried to bring his wand to his face. He managed to partially block two more lightning bolts before another one hit him. He was writhing around in the dirt, the electricity coursing through his body. He took another lightning bolt to the chest and this time he could not contain his screams. He rolled, trying to dodge more lightning as it came flying towards him. He wasn't successful.

Credence could feel himself completely losing control. He gave in, allowing his inner demons to come out as his body was replaced by the Obscurus. He spotted Graves, who uttered his name, and tried to descend upon him and kill the man once and for all. Graves disappeared right before Credence could reach him. Credence felt anger. He felt rage. Years of pent up rage, of hiding his magic and suffering. He wanted revenge. He wanted to destroy the whole world, and everything in it.

He had already killed Mr. Shaw and Ma. Next was Graves. After that, he would hunt down every single person who had given him a weird look or a harsh word. They would all suffer. They would all die. Credence knew that it was wrong, but he didn't care. He knew the Obscurus was messing with his mind. He couldn't fight it anymore. There was nothing to fight for. Credence would rather die.

He dove at Graves again, bouncing off of a wall and tearing through several more support columns. He shot straight up in the air, making another gaping hole in the ground. He aimed for the night sky, but was pushed downward by some magical force-field. Panicking and seized with rage, Credence threw himself back towards the previously made hole, disappearing into the subway again. He could hear the terrified screams of the people above.

He spotted Graves, and the only reason he didn't instantly destroy him was because the man in blue was crouching in front of him. Graves kicked the other wizard in the face, and he fell to his side. A well-cast bolt of lightning sent the Brit into another round of spasming and screaming. Credence prepared to charge Graves, but Graves reached out and pulled the wizard in blue to his feet. The tip of Grave's wand was aimed at the wizard's throat, and the wizard's whole body acted as a shield for Graves'.

"Credence, I'm afraid that if you harm me Mr. Scamander will meet quite an untimely death," Graves said calmly.

"NEWT!" a voice screamed. Both Credence and Graves turned to see a lady running towards them. Credence recognized her instantly. She was the woman who had stood up to Ma and tried to stop her from beating him. She was the only human who had ever shown Credence kindness. Now she was running down the tracks, eyes fearful for the wizard in blue (Newt, he was called). Before she could get within twenty feet, Graves had flicked his wand away from Newt's neck for a second and ropes appeared and wrapped around the woman, tying her to a column.

"Now Credence, I really am sorry for what I said earlier," Graves amended in a quiet voice. "I don't want for you to suffer. I don't want to see you in pain. I want to see you happy. You deserve to be in the wizarding world. You deserve to be at the top of the wizarding world! Join me, and we can rule together!"

"Don't d-do it. Don't… list….listen….to him," Newt managed to cough out. His whole body was shaking, and it seemed as though Graves' arm was the only thing keeping him upright. Credence's theory was confirmed a few seconds later when Graves released Newt, allowing the man to fall face first to the pavement below. Newt grunted, but lay still.

"If you won't join me out of will, maybe you'll join me out of fear. Let me give you a demonstration of what I mean," he turned towards Newt, who had placed two hands on the ground and was trying to lift himself into a crouching position. His arms gave out and he fell back onto the cold concrete. Graves smiled.

"NO! GRAVES, DON'T DO THIS!" the woman yelled. Graves ignored her.

"CRUCIO!" he yelled, and a blast of light shot towards the poor wizard on the ground. The Cruciatus Curse hit Newt with full-force, and a blood-curdling scream escaped his mouth. His whole body jerked violently and he tried to curl up on himself. After a few minutes, he was reduced to a whimpering ball of tangled limbs and messy red hair. Graves turned back to Credence, looking extremely satisfied.

"Was that pleasant to watch, Credence? You know I'd never use that spell on you, you're too special. On him, however, I could use it all day. Maybe I'll use it on Ms. Goldstein next," he jerked his head in the direction of the woman in grey, who was sobbing and calling Newt's name. Graves turned and looked directly at the swirling black form of Credence. "I wonder how long Modesty would last?"

Credence felt his blood run cold. The black mass swirled around, clearly agitated. Graves laughed, a long, echoing laugh. "I see you're not convinced quite yet. Maybe seeing it again. CRUCIO!"

Newt's screams echoed off of the walls of the tunnel. His face was streaked with tears and he looked on the brink of complete mental collapse, and even physical death. All of his muscles were pulsating with dark energy from the Cruciatus Curse and electricity from the earlier lighting attacks. The arm that he had landed on when Graves had dropped him was bent at a weird angle, and Credence winced when it bent a little further as a result of him writhing around. Graves flung another round of lightning at him, and this time Newt didn't stop screaming.

Ms. Goldstein's own screams could barely be heard over Newt's. "CREDENCE PLEASE! WE CAN HELP YOU! JUST STOP GRAVES! PLEASE, STOP HIM! NEWT CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE!"

Credence's mind was made up. Even with Graves using Newt as a personal shield, he would attack. He couldn't let this man suffer any longer. This man who had jumped in front of lightning for him and who continued to suffer because of him. Credence couldn't let him die. Because this man had set down his wand and made himself vulnerable, and he had jumped in front of a curse for Credence. That's how Credence knew he could trust him. Graves would never take a curse for him. Goodness knows Ma would never suffer for him. Credence couldn't let this man suffer any longer.

With a roar, he rushed forward. Graves yanked the completely limp Newt off of the ground and held his broken body in front of his own, but Credence wasn't deterred. He tried to avoid Newt as much as possible as he viscously attacked Graves. He slashed and cut, and he could feel the power of the Obscurus coursing through him as the body was mangled. Finally, Credence was satisfied and he retreated. Graves fell to the floor, and subsequently so did Newt. But unlike Graves, who was completely dead and whose flesh was mottled and distorted, Newt was alive. The Obscurial had done some damage to Newt, but he was breathing.

Credence felt the adrenaline drain from his system almost immediately. He was dumped back into his human form, and he stumbled forwards, landing on his knees. His vision blurred and his breaths came in gasps. Finally, everything faded to black.

A/N: Part II is already written, I just need to proof-read it. The more reviews, the more motivation I'll have to proofread and post it.