CHAPTER ONE
The only thing that held Cassiopeia tight were the arms of loneliness her small house gave her. Loneliness was the only constant in her life, even as a child. She learned at a young age you could be lonely even in a room full of people, though more than often Cas wasn't surrounded by a room of people.
In a tiny room of a town house, she lived with one other girl, and her name was Sophia. She was small and soft spoken, and Cas would never tell anyone this, but greatly reminded her of a mouse. She quietly scuttered everywhere she walked and seemed to have a sixth sense about Cas. Talking to Sophia caused the room to shift to an anxious air. It wasn't long before a few whispers to the other girls caused the same reaction when Cas spoke to any of the other children. Of course, she knew there were good reason for the aversion to her. Magic ran in her blood and being in intimate enclosure with Muggles caused it to be displayed in unexpected ways.
There were four other bedrooms in this orphanage and three of them had two more girls in each room. The fifth was the biggest room and the Mistress and the Master called it home.
Cas was 6 when she was dropped off at their doors, after spending those years of her life on the run with her mother, who had told her time and time again how dangerous her father was. So dangerous, in fact, that it took her life. Her father finally caught up with them, and Cas was truthfully unsure whether it was an accident or not, but her mother was dead before the next morning.
So with that backstory and unexplained things surrounding Cassiopeia, of course they were scared of her. She'd whisper to herself at night, you're different than them but day you'll meet people like you, and she dreamed of a school that taught magic, a story that had been slowing turning into more fairy tale than anything as time passed, fantasizing about how she'd finally fit in. Though even when she turned 11 and was accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Cas still struggled to fit in. Her transfiguration professor had an unusual fondness for her, but otherwise she never stood out in classes or among her house of Gryffindors, though she found later in life she'd inherited her father's charisma, though not genuinely possessing the skill of interacting and connecting with other people.
She often felt her entire time at Hogwarts as a Gryffindor was a lie, but she reassured herself time and time again that the Sorting Hat never made a mistake. She must be brave and just and courageous. There just hadn't been an opportunity to present those attributes… Cas knew she wanted to be, at least.
After starting school, she only returned to the orphanage during summer break, and in the end acted normal enough to make friends, though she didn't know what those said friends were doing today.
By the time Cas graduated, she was just starting to see her potential, and highly encouraged by one of her professors, Dumbledore, she went off into the world to fight the dark wizards of the world- to protect it against people like her father, who she knew was out there somewhere.
It was as she was starting her career as an Auror that her father began coming out of the woodwork. It started slow but built quickly over the next few years. Her last name isolated her from her coworkers just like the invisible mark of magic did to her back at her orphanage days, till there were whispers of the older Grindelwald being the most powerful wizard and even more whispers about where Cas' loyalties laid in the matter.
She had thought she'd left all the rumors and loneliness back at the orphanage, but she realized then it had never truly left her. It was the only thing that never gave up on her, it always pulled her back into its grasp.
In the end, from the pressure from her coworkers in the ministry, who more so wanted her gone than protected, and the real terror at the thought of her father finding her, Cas went into hiding. She'd spent the six months hiding out in a little wooden house, that was more of a hut than anything. Her and Loneliness lived together in harmony till one afternoon a boy with dark hair fell to her living room floor.
A book had been in one of her hands, tea in the other, and her feet were tucked under her skirt. She sat in a worn green chair. And then suddenly she wasn't alone.
"What-" Cas spluttered, the mug of hot tea in her hands slipped, landing in her lap. A yelp escaped her then and she stood up, pulling her pear wood wand out. She quickly muttered a spell to dry the burning water seeping through her loose cotton dress. She faced the boy, wand raised for defense, but at the sight of him her hand wavered.
The boy was on his knees, his hands pressed against the floor. His fingers held something tight in his left hand, but it was too small for Cas to see what. His face was blotchy and his dark eyes were puffy. Tears fell to the floor as he wept with a clenched mouth and a rigid body, gasps exploding from him as his lungs begged for breath.
Her wand only slightly raised now, Cas took a step towards the shaking boy, completely and utterly unsure as to what to do next. Surely this was an attack, but how was the child in front of him going to hurt her when he was crying so hard?
"Don't come closer," he spoke through a tight mouth, his voice breaking over those few words. His face was red, and Cas could tell at her angle, the pressure of the onslaught of tears and the way his head hung must have made his head pound. Though it was seemingly the last thing on his mind. His breathing was harsh, more like heaving than a way to bring oxygen to his body.
"Why? Who are you?" Cas asked, not moving any closer but dropping to her knees. She could tell this was a fragile situation. She had no idea what was going on, but she had to be very careful in the next few moments.
Her only answer was heavy breathing.
"I'm Cassiopeia," she whispered, in an attempt not to startle him anymore. "But that's such a ridiculously long name, you can call me Cas."
"Credence," he forced out with a loud gasp. His fingernails dug into the hardwood flooring, splintering his fingertips.
"Can you tell me what's happening?" She asked, barely succeeding in keeping her voice calm, wondering if shards of wood were embedded in his hands now.
"No."
"Did… did a man do this to you? A man with-with blonde hair and two different colored eyes?" Cas could barely ask the question. His suddenly eyes jerked up to her pale ones and her heart skipped a beat. Her father was a monster, she had no doubt she would do something to this boy.
"No."
"Newt... Scamander," Credence grunted before letting out a growl that turned into a scream, causing Cas' hair to stand on end, and no time to react to the name she had just been given. She automatically brought her wand back up when a black swirlly mass exploded from where the boy had been.
Cas flew back, casting a protective spell around her, before landing hard on her side. She tried to flatten herself against the floor, as the black mist wreaked havoc all around her. Her eyes shut, praying it would all be over soon. She knew she wasn't strong enough to combat this.
Barely a minute passed, though it felt like an eternity, and Cas was able to push the debris off her. She used magic to force away the heavier pieces. The sudden sunlight burned her eyes, but she shaded them with one hand and the other hand her wand at the ready. Her heart clenched, seeing her little hut flattened around her.
But she found Credence in the same exact position he appeared to her. This time, Cas realized maybe he was fighting for control of whatever that black mass was. And it was a losing battle.
"I can help you!" She called over to him, though she wasn't taking any chances this time. Her wand was held high.
"Newt Scamander. Take me to..." Cas heard Credence began before another scream escaped him. This time she knew what to expect and used a spell to knock him into a dreamless sleep, completely devoid of emotion, and apparently a place he didn't need to worry about controlling this demon of his.
"Oh, Newt, what have you gotten yourself into..." she muttered to herself, walking over to Credence's unconscious body. Cas remembered him from Hogwarts and the thought that awkward and innocent Newt Scamander had gotten involved with her father despaired her. For she knew this was something the elder Grindelwald had conducted.
There was something extremely special about this boy and his life and her life and Newt life were in danger because of it.
AN: all right, after watching Fantastic Beasts three times in a row, I thought it was about time to write something for it. I'm not against Newtina, but I wasn't exactly rooting for it either lol they'll probably end up in the story, but this is a Newt/OC pairing, and I'm filling in the blank on what happened to Credence and what Newt is up to after New York. I'm working really hard on developing a thorough plot and rounded characters, so let me know what you think so far!
Disclaimers: I only own my OC and the plot, everything else goes to JK Rowling. Also, look up I Won't Let You Go by Switchfoot. It'lll be a good song to listen to while reading this story. ;)