Odyssey of a Mage Part II

by mootjeman7

Part II of Odyssey of a Mage. Begins in the Grindelwald War Era. Atticus Sayre, reincarnated soul navigates the perils of life. War and Peace, Life and Death, Love and Hate, all of these Atticus Sayre must contend with if he is to shoulder the responsibilities he's taken on for the Magical World. Ruthless, Determined SI-OC. Fem Riddle. Pre-Halo Crossover.

11. Chapter 60 Part I

Hello All! Hope you're all doing well on this fine day!

Just wanted to give a little foreword, this chapter is beginning of the end of the second Arc before we move onto the third part of this saga, Arc 3 which looming ever closer to the horizon!

I appreciate you guys reading my story, it's been a heck of a journey (special thanks to those of you who stuck around when I first started writing, your patience as I got to refine my writing has been much appreciated, cherished really!) and I hope you stick around for more!

Enjoy and let me know what you think as I would love to hear from you (I read every review!)

Note: If you would like to read ahead, the next three chapters are available on P^A^T^R^E^O^N / Boombox117

The discord channel is nyHSCUXWtc

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-Break-

Credence POV

Credence's shield saved him from the collapsing ceiling though it buried him underneath the rubble.

The ground shook again, and more rubble fell on top of him and he could feel his magic drawing more from his core.

'I need to get out' he thought to himself with gritted teeth as his mind whirled, nothing good being conjured up as he thought on what was happening.

He found their base, Credence thought grimly and with a deep breath, he raised his left arm and drew on his magic.

He was not truly capable in wandless magic, only truly able to banish and levitate. He did not have the creativity or the obsessive nature of his former mentor had to truly excel at wandless magic but he could sustain a spell wandlessly.

The shield spell transferred from his wand to his left hand, leaving him free to cast with his wand and with a jab, he reduced the rubble to dust again and again until he could see light.

The roof of the base had been torn down as moonlight shone through.

He could the cries and shouts of the men at the base and a familiar voice tore through the air.

"Get up, get up NOW" Ramirez' furious voice reverberated around the broken stone of the once fortress as he commanded his men to stand.

Credence took a moment to look around, the devastation that the large base, a place that had been able to host a thousand men with plenty of space remaining, had been unable to withstand.

Credence steadied himself as the ground shook once more, the sounds of tonnes of stones being torn down was obvious to hear and the growing cries in the distance only caused him to clench his wand firmer. He ran through the disorganised crowd as men hustled and bustled into position.

"Anti-Apparition wards are up!" One cried

"The Portkeys aren't working!" Another cried

A massive explosion sounded out and Credence's head swivelled towards the sound and with a sinking heart, he realised that the explosion tore through one of the few remaining outer walls and dozens, hundreds of men poured through the newly made doors and the battle began in earnest.

Thousands of curses flew in both directions, a kaleidoscope of colour, a kaleidoscope of magic thrummed in the air as their brilliant colours hid the deadly intent behind them.

Credence had seen many battles, often in across a battlefield but never had he seen such a…claustrophobic battle as spells were deflecting and turning toward every and all direction.

Shouts became unintelligible as the chaotic nature of the battle drowned it all out.

Credence whirled his wand in a deadly blur, cutting down any enemy in black robes, the enemies blurring into one and the same, a mindless glob of enemies that had only one intent in their eyes.

He ducked and weaved out of the way, men were fighting alongside, men he had never spoken to, and men were dying whose faces he would never remember.

It was a kind of battle he had never experienced, the mindlessness, the base instinct of survive, survive, SURVIVE had taken over.

He did not know how long this went on, blood was smeared on his face, a few cuts here and there were on his body, most of them only slight as his robes absorbed most of the magic in the spell.

He shielded more than he ever killed anyone, the sheer chaotic nature of the battle made retaliating a near impossibility.

They were penned in like sardines, no way out except to fight as they encircled them, breaking through their lines, isolating men and women in enmasse. He did not even know when it happened, when they'd breached the other walls and cut off any route of escape.

One of the men next to him died to a curse that rained down on them, the likelihood of the man dying from a curse of his fellow was high as spells collided and exploded mid-air, deflecting them to places unintended.

The base that was resembled now a mere shadow of the solid structure that it was, most of the structure having been levelled and he could now see the battle was expanding beyond the encircled area they were forced to be in.

It might just give him the space he needed to transform. To transform in such close quarters…he knew he'd kill just as many enemies as he would allies and that would not be acceptable, even if it limited him greatly.

Smoke and ash were heavy in the air as cries and screams rang around, enemy and ally combatants alike littered the ground just as easily as rubble did.

A barrage of curses spewed from his wand as he slowly travelled towards the front, to halt the severe disadvantage they found themselves in.

No one paid him any mind, for who he but just another face in a crowd as men could only discern who was who with the colour of their robes.

He saw Xavier battling a group, slowly cutting them down as some of the ICW men were watching his back against any would cut him down at his back.

"CREDENCE!" he heard faintly and he turned slightly once he dispatched his current opponent and he ran towards the call and saw Ramirez fighting with his proverbial back against the wall against a score of men with only a few men in support with no others nearby.

He ran forward and weaved his way through the crowded battlefield, snapping off cutting curses when the opportunity presented him an enemy to remove from the battlefield

With a flourish he whipped his wand around and a flurry of blasting curses crackled from his wand and sent three of the flying through the air.

Some of them broke off and engaged him and he met their advance with determination.

With a wave of the wand, he raised the pools of water on the ground and with a jab transfigured them into ice before sharpening them and sent them careening into one of them before he twisted around, dodging a particular deadly looking orange spell and with a flick of the wand, creating a ball of fire and dashed it towards the other enemy who shielded against the elemental spell but his shield cracked and finally shattered as Credence sent forth a stream of piercing curses that tore holes through the man.

Credence made his way towards Ramirez as the enemy numbers dwindled.

"Credence" Ramirez' voice was ragged, sweat seemed to pour out of him, the breathlessness that seemed to take hold of him was shaken off as Ramirez looked at him with grave eyes "You need to join up with Xavier and transform" he stressed. "It is the only way we can escape, you need to cut us a path towards wherever that damned anchor stone is, it is the only thing that could keep us all here and prevent us from apparating out"

Ramirez turned around and snapped off a shield as a flurry of spells were sent his way "Go, go NOW" Ramirez demanded before he turned his remaining team "Men, on me!" he shouted as they ran forward.

Credence wasn't idle and ran faster than he had ever done before towards Xavier who he could see faintly in the distance cutting through men as if they were nothing.

He was thrown off his feet as an explosion went off just of his left. He gritted his teeth as he rode out the daze and he twisted mid-air. He fell on his back with a mighty thud and he bit down hard at the harsh fall but used the momentum to roll back to his stomach before he jumped back up on his feet.

He glanced upward and saw dozens of men on brooms killing the ICW forces were near impunity and with a furious expression his face he raised his wand, magic within him surged forward, the parasite within him felt gleeful.

His eyes faintly began to glow as a slight, near imperceptible aura swirled around him.

"DEPULSO LATIDUNIS" he said softly, belying the power he put into the spell.

The spell ruptured from his wand, the faint blue sheen of the spell was inversely cone shaped and it grew largely as it tore through the air until it was dozens of metres wide.

He saw some trying to evade the curse but the spell's faint outline was not as easy to see, especially in the dead of night and it blasted six men who were on broom, the impact seeming to have hit them like a train.

The others were lucky enough to be missed scattered as he rained down a few more Depulso's before he set a few others on the task and returned to his original task.

He saw the main group of ICW soldiers who were holding the line even as Xavier took care of the areas that threatened to overrun but Credence could see that it was fast becoming hopeless and he needed to get there fast.

The parasite within him grew and strands of blackness, strands of magic that was perverted through pain, suffering and self loathing, surged forth.

Complex thoughts were dulled as instinct took over.

And the only instinct that he knew now was simple.

KILL KILL KILL

Obscurus-Credence rushed forth, ate through the earth and rubble, leaving a trail of destruction tearing through the space once occupied by hastily escaping men as he tore his way through the front lines.

"MAKE SPACE, MAKE SPACE FOR HIM NOW" he heard faintly through the haze of instinct and a gap appeared.

He was a massive swirling mass of ball, made of black wispy strands, one with a near unmatched ability to cause destruction and near invincible.

He sped through the gap created by his allies and barrages of spells amidst panicked cries were sent towards him, and he dodged out of the way, leaping through the air before with a loud thud, one that caused a slight tremor, sped towards them again.

Some of their spells hit, blasting off bits of his wispy strands but it was irrelevant, inconsequential and soon enough, he crashed into them, tearing through them like a hot knife through the softest butter, shields and physical objects mattered not.

His blood sung as screams filled the air as he left nothing but a trail of flesh and bone in his wake.

He heard the resurgent roars from his allies, as he continued to drive back the line. The enemies attempted to encircle him as they sent elemental spells at him, to burn him away but he was too fast, too nimble to fall for it. He flung dozens of men with his Obscurus tentacles, lashing out in fury and rage at their audacity, Obscurus-Credence felt the desire to remind these creatures of his superiority, to remind them that they were his prey.

The earth around him was ruptured and tormented as it warped under the assault of his enemy but he simply waded out of it, continuing his onslaught as he ripped apart his enemies.

Until Obscurus-Credence, before he even knew what was happening, cried out in agony as he was sent dashing through the air, into the path of his allies and with a large thud, collapsed on top of several of them.

The Obscurus writhed and shrieked with agony, the torment he was put under was unlike he'd ever felt before and the obscurus receded, the strands of blackness, the strands of magic perverted fell from him, as if they were dead branches falling from the tree.

Credence gasped out in pain as he was rolled to his back.

"Mr Dumbledore" One of them said, the words sounded as if it was warped.

He took a deep breathed and shook his head as he was hauled back to his feet.

"What hit me?" Credence asking gaspingly, distractedly as he reached out to his core, his core that was entwined with black strands that coiled around it like a serpent.

The obscurus parasite recoiled from his touching probe and Credence eyes widened in disbelief before they narrowed in suspicion and more than a little bit of worry.

That felt worse than any light spell he'd ever been hit by. The obscurus was not Dark Magic, simply Magic that has been perverted through trauma and forever twisted into a parasite that fed on pain, misery and life. His own stabilised, a kind of harmony between his life force and the parasite had been achieved – whether or not it was simply magical power he did not know.

Though…the way it felt now…it felt…unstable in ways he did could not remember and it felt…terrified.

What was going on?

"I didn't see what the curse was, only that you were shrieking that left us all nearly deaf" Credence turned to the voice and his eyes widened slightly as he recognised Xavier.

Xavier Charleston had short brown hair, light green eyes and a small neat beard. His face was marred a scar that ran down his left jawline, a fresh scar that he only obtained in the last few weeks though it was not what truly stood out about the man.

Credence's eyes went towards his right side and saw where he was missing a limb, one that was taken from him by Grindelwald himself not two weeks ago. Not that one could say that it severely hampered the man given that he was by far still their best duellist with the power to boot.

Despite being well over eighty years of age, despite being battle worn, he looked just shy of forty years of age.

"I can't feel the obscurus all that well anymore" Credence admitted with a hint of dismay creeping in his voice to the man. The sounds of discord and confusion caused him to snap out of it, momentarily as he whirled around towards where the men were staring at, facing back towards where he had been.

The enemy had withdrawn from the encirclement and reorganised themselves but did not proceed forward. He frowned as he looked at them.

What were they up to? He wondered

"I see" Xavier's tone was a little grim and Credence glanced at him with an equally grim look to his face.

"Him?" Credence questioned quietly as he returned his gaze to the line of near thousand enemy combatants that stood opposite them. He clenched his wand tightly, finding comfort in the thrum of his wand and oddly feeling extremely disconcerted by the lack of the rage, the raw instinct that had lied just underneath his skin, the obscurus parasite writhing and raging within him to be unleashed, only for his control and will to see it remain at bay, an uneasy balance having been achieved.

Credence heard the lines of their own forces being coordinate

"Most likely" Xavier said with a hint of contempt.

"He's managed to tear down the wards as well" Xavier's tone was bitter "It seems like our strategy to tone down the density of magic, keeping only few defensive wards and the modified Privacy wards that would have hidden the magic done in the base were moot". Credence said nothing to that.

He had thought it was a solid plan. It wasn't looking good…not looking good at all.

Xavier turned to Credence. "Try to transform" he asked of Credence and Credence turned to Xavier with surprise in his eyes.

Xavier's eyes just held curiosity and Credence turned away and closed his eyes, drawing forth his obscurus and he nearly keeled over, gasping, only held aloft by Xavier's firm hand clasping onto his shoulder.

"Wha...What is happening?!" Credence furiously snarled, his eyes wide in shock and fear as the obscurus within him lashed out at him.

He felt a keen sense of loss, a loss he never thought he'd ever feel.

Xavier's eyes were stony but they held a hint of pity "It seems like he's managed to contain, if not burn away some of the obscurus" Xavier gave off a silent sigh as Credence drew himself up, his eyes wild with disbelief and anger…and hate.

He DARED to take the one thing that made him more special than anyone?!

Credence gritted his teeth, loathing and fury marred his face. The one thing that he had been completely proud of, one that he turned from a tragedy into something greater was taken from him.

"It is likely not permanent" Xavier's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and Credence saw a look of understanding in his eyes and Credence turned away.

Xavier continued nonetheless "It is part of your magic – it cannot be taken from you, not at this stage, not in the way the parasitic magic stabilised within your being…it's merely…suppressed" Xavier told him and Credence's hope rose a little at that but it did little to alleviate the feeling of…violation.

Xavier's eyes went towards the line of their opponents, a certain disdainful glint had entered his eyes "Of course he would find a way to weaponise against you when it could be a way to treat the unfortunate children, perhaps even save them from certain death should it be found early on" Xavier's voice was calm but it held a kind of fury that seemed to be off with the usually calm man.

Magic began to roil of the man, his eyes were furious, hard as the coldest of ice and as sharp as knives as he stared at the enemy. "It is what he does, and those of his ilk." His words were hard and Credence couldn't find it in himself to disagree.

Just as Credence was about to turn towards the enemy, he found himself struggling to breath.

The pressure grew to near unbearable levels, the heaviness in the air, in the atmosphere was palpable.

Credence had never been skilled with magical manifestation, it seemed as if his obscurus had taken over that element of his being and anything he tried, he would come close to transforming. But he had enough skill to push away such domination and he breathed a little easier even as the world seemed to darken, as if dread itself was manifesting itself into existence.

It was shocking, to see such a shift in atmosphere, both physical and metaphysical as he glanced at the once clear sky, the sky that had darkened, the faint lights of the stars having been blanketed away by dark clouds.

Credence was awestruck, and not a little bit of fear crept into him. He had known Grindelwald was more powerful, the duels they had fought had proven that plenty but never had he imagined Grindelwald to be capable of…this.

"Yes…This is what that man is capable of." Xavier's voice showed a hint of strain, even as Credence stared at the darkening sky. "There is no doubt that he is peerless…" Xavier's voice trailed off.

Credence glanced at Xavier and saw him close his eyes but before he could understand what he was doing, his eyes caught the men behind him, and he was left wide eyed as he saw the effects of Grindelwald's magic on them.

He watched as they turned pale, clutching their throats as the force of magic slammed against them, pressing against them from all sides, dropping to their knees, almost as if they acting to lie down prostrate before a wrathful deity.

Suddenly the pressure receded, and the collective gasping could be heard. He turned towards the source, Xavier's face showed signs of strain as his arm seemed to tremble slightly under the strain of fighting against Grindelwald's directed magic.

"It never fails to surprise me that he's capable of extending his magic this far and with such intent" Xavier said with an eerie tone, standing tall despite the enormous pressure that was directed towards them, standing despite the effort he was exerting in relinquishing the strain Grindelwald had put them through.

Credence eyes followed Grindelwald, who stood in front of the mass of enemies, as if he were the vanguard on a holy crusade.

Magic seemed to surround Grindelwald, as if it was bubbling with maddening intent, eager and desperate for a release.

The Moon's light struck down at the battlefield, the few rays that escaped the embrace of the dark clouds that had seemed to swallow it.

Blackness surrounded Grindelwald, the light of the Moon seemed to orbit him rather than truly touching him, darkness seemed to drape over him as if he were born to it, acting as its emissary to rid the world of its counterpart, its immortal foe. Grindelwald strode forward, in a languid easy fashion, his face cloaked in shadows though never his eyes.

No…

Those showed menace and promise of death that no one could miss.

Ramirez emerged from the crowd and walked up to them. "What is the plan" his face was grim and Credence could tell that he was not at his best.

Not that anyone's best of all those present currently would be able to match…that.

His level of respect for Xavier grew considerably that he managed to face Grindelwald and survive.

For all of his association with Grindelwald, he had never seen the man exude magic as he had been now, even when he had been intimidating nobles and politicians.

What was his true capabilities? Credence wondered, his mind disturbed at the prospect of fighting Grindelwald without mercy.

Credence shook clear of his troublesome mind. It would not do to dwell on it.

Not now.

Xavier glanced at Ramirez who stared at Xavier with intense eyes as he scrutinised the venerated Headmaster "I don't suppose you have another trick up your sleeve?" Ramirez asked dryly though his eyes held hope, hope that Xavier dashed away as he shook his head.

"I don't." Xavier admitted "Grindelwald will be on the lookout for any trickery" he sighed "There won't be repeat of that again, I'm afraid"

Xavier through cleverness and a breadth of knowledge managed to halt Grindelwald's victory time and again, until he lost his arm.

In private, Credence had thought Xavier lost more than just an arm.

He had not known the man before his injury but the man had a look on his face that was grim the few times he had spoken to him about Grindelwald, what they would do together.

He understood now, if Grindelwald was able to intimidate them from afar like this…his prowess in magic must be clear enough that even an Archmage like Xavier is unable to defeat in a straight fight.

Xavier glanced at him before he met Ramirez's eyes, who looked slightly ashen faced by Xavier's admittance.

"We will have to negotiate our terms with him" Xavier said grimly and Credence's temper rose just as much as disbelief marred his face.

He did not agree to join them just to surrender to him. He knew it was the best option they had available…the only option other than fighting to the death.

Credence knew with the…suppression of his obscurus, he could not escape the anti portkey and apparition wards as easily as he would have. He might have been able to bring Xavier with him…

…at the cost of all of their ICW forces in Belgium.

Credence swallowed and before that dark thought could trouble him further, Ramirez spoke up.

"It's a death sentence" Ramirez simply stated, his voice emotionless as he stared at Xavier "Not to mention, why would Grindelwald want to negotiate?" Ramirez questioned harshly before he waved his hand "He has us right where he wants us, cut off from any support and our backs against the wall" Ramirez's face turned bitter "Bringing an anchor stone to make sure we cannot escape speaks of his intent"

Xavier looked at him "You're right, there is little to nothing for us to negotiate." Xavier acknowledged before he directed his gaze behind him "But we have lost too many men and I do not think we will be able to count on the strength and will of our men to make sure we get something from this battle"

Credence swivelled around and saw Xavier looking at the men behind him and he followed the man's gaze and then…and then he understood.

Eyes full of fear and bodies so tense that a single leaf falling them would cause them to collapse in on themselves.

The pressure had receded, true, but it left an impression that he knew was seared in their core being, in addition to the few occasions that they witnessed Grindelwald's power. Their eyes were fear filled and he knew that many of them were thinking the unthinkable.

"Yes…" he swallowed bitterly and Ramirez's face set in stone.

"You do have a plan" Ramirez looked to Xavier who gave him a half smile before he turned to Credence, his eyes boring into him.

"Do not fret" Xavier said, turning to Credence, a kind smile on his face, one that stretched the gnarly scar on his face "He has above all an ego the size of the Sun." Xavier's eyes stared at Credence, his gaze intense "We just have to hold on long enough, Credence." Xavier looked back at Grindelwald.

Credence's eyes widened "For what?" he demanded as he clenched his fist. Did he truly have a plan with regards to Grindelwald?

This entire time he'd been here, he had found nothing that would let him to believe that was the case.

Xavier was powerful, extremely so, certainly more powerful than Credence from the few times they had sparred but his Obscurus was powerful too and had been a way to even the odds.

But Xavier had lost to Grindelwald in the occasions they met in battle, no matter how he managed to get Grindelwald to retreat on the one occasion, where Grindelwald was forced to retreat due to trickery and in the end ended up a stalemate, something that they knew was the absolute best they could do to Grindelwald and hence his…conscription in this mad affair that he took on.

Still, he had admired that about Xavier. He had known no one capable of outwitting Grindelwald.

Who knew his countryman had such tricks in their sleeves?

He had heard whispers that Xavier had taken the taunting badly, the taunting of his grandnephew and thus made sure to make Grindelwald pay for them.

In the end, Xavier had lost an arm still, despite his powerful magic, despite his experience and skill.

Grindelwald was just that much better.

They both knew that Xavier was not the answer and they also knew that Credence's presence would not change the outcome, not in the way that would matter, no matter what Ramirez and the ICW wanted from him and Xavier.

"For help to arrive" Xavier said simply. "That is what we will have to do Credence, you and I" Xavier glanced at Credence "That is all we have to do" he turned his gaze back to the front, the air simmered with Xavier's magic as he began to shine with magic.

Ramirez's eyes shone in understanding and nodding grimly to Xavier "I will keep the men ready" he told them before he turned to leave, halting momentarily and glanced over his shoulder "Your sacrifice will not be forgotten" he left without waiting on another word said.

Xavier chuckled "Sacrifice…" he murmured softly before he straightened out "I suppose it will be a sacrifice" he seemed to say to himself.

Credence face soured immensely "I did not sign up for suicide"

Nagini would never forgive him…

"Neither did I" Xavier smiled at Credence "But who knows" Xavier shrugged "We might be able to defeat him, somehow" He tilted his head slightly "After all, anything is possible" A kind smile fell on his face as he looked at Credence.

Credence turned away from Xavier, frustration welling up in him, avoiding the kind look in the man's face, one that he felt was signifying that he was accepting of his death. "I don't like this" he ground out, clenching his wand, his magic burning underneath his skin with tense determination.

Xavier laughed "Neither do I" as he stepped forward, meeting the gaze of the man who kept walking towards, unconcerned and assured of his victory as black strands of magic swirled around him as if he were the centre of an all-consuming hunger.

Xavier's laugh was far from joyous.

Credence sighed inaudibly before closing his eyes momentarily before he reopened them, determination set in them.

"Anything is possible" he murmured to himself, as he clenched his wand tightly.

"Nagini…I will keep my promise" he whispered to the wind, imagining his words would reach her

He locked step with Xavier and shared a look with the man, an understanding passed between them, before turning his gaze at the insurmountable abyss, the maelstrom of reviling magic that centred around an evil he would face, an evil that he would do his best to rid of this world, for this world.

For the living…and the dead.

He owed to it to many to do so.

He owed it to himself.

-Break-

Dorea Black POV

She sighed as she stepped out into the brusque air of the evening night from her quarters in the makeshift base that they were at here in France.

"I'm going to go for a drink Dorea, do you want to join?" Jacque Vance asked her.

"No, go ahead, I just want to take moment to myself" she said, waving off her fellow Medi-Healer.

"Alright, well if you change your mind, I'll be at the bar" Vance said with a wink and Dorea snorted lightly. To call it a bar was like calling a broken down hovel a home.

Soon enough she was alone, up on the upper sections of the base, looking down at the main courtyard.

Her eyes darted around at the hubbub of the base, men chattering, laughing and drinking with carefree abandon, celebrating the eve before joining the other men in Belgium once morning began.

Her head turned upward, and she stared at the cloudless night, the moon hung high in the sky amongst twinkling stars.

It was a beautiful night, she thought. A beautiful night before they would embark towards a destination, towards a likely battle would see many of these men dead the same time tomorrow.

Likely at the hands of that bastard. Her hands clenched as she breathed in deeply. She had lost her brother and father to Grindelwald, in her father's foolish, impulsive desire to have his heir back, an heir who had forsaken family and his duties.

Her face contorted into a saddened smile, one lost in memories.

Perseus had always been someone who gave it all once he committed to something, from the few memories she had of him. They were few, but they were seared in her mind. He'd always had an easy smile, one that was full of charm. Eyes as grey as the darkest of clouds, hiding an intellect and determination that was rare.

It was why he was thought off to be a likely great Lord Black. Problem was, he never really wanted it, the responsibility for the family. He had his dreams, of excitement and purpose beyond improving the family position.

Grindelwald had offered that and more in the war he engulfed all of Europe in. So much so Perseus himself had been lost to it, at a stage before it could even begin.

And now she would wait…and wait when the person she cared for the most, loved the most would be out there, fighting against a monster who could scores of powerful wizard but with a flick of his wand.

She sighed, her breath was visible in the dim night.

She had seen a great deal of death, more than she ever thought she would in just a month. She'd arrive at the end tale of the liberation of Switzerland with men eager to volunteer. The scores of bodies had been etched in her mind.

Though that wasn't what really got to her…no, it was those who had injuries that cause them to drop out the war, permanent injuries that not even magic could heal…or replace. Those numbers only grew as time passed as they moved from country to country.

She had more than a few men break down at the news. Men who looked like they could face a dragon with a smile on their face broke at the news of permanent disability, of disfigurement…of being lesser in their minds.

Each time she saw a disfigured face, she hoped…hoped it wasn't Charlus and she felt immense relief – and nearly as much guilt – that it wasn't him.

Though…

That hadn't been what surprised her.

No…her old friend had been the one who changed the most – the friend who avoided any and all social events if he could embraced coming to these men, to sit with them at their lowest point. A conversation that she knew would be harder than any other.

Atticus would come for those men, the poor men whose lives were inextricably changed. She never heard what he'd say to them, only the results of when he'd visit.

Their spirits would be lifted, a dark shadow that hung in their eyes would be lifted, for the most part, and she'd always marvel at his ability to pull even the most despondent man from the pit they were threatening to drown in.

And equally…she'd feel shame for simply being grateful it wasn't Charlus.

"Dor…" she heard, breaking her out of her thoughts, her heart racing at familiar voice, the light tenor that marked out the man she loved. She turned around and saw him walking up towards her, an easy smile on his face, his eyes sparkling in the moonlit night.

Before she knew it, she was smiling herself, her previous thoughts forgotten.

"Charlus" she said warmly. She waited for him to arrive and he took her in his arms, and craned down his neck and kissed her, gently, on the lips. She melted into his arms.

An arm snaked around her, then the other and she broke off the kiss after a few moments.

"What are you doing here on your lonesome?" he questioned her softly, an inquisitive glint in his eye.

She softly stroked his arms "Just taking a moment to myself" she answered honestly.

He brought his hand to her face, brushing away the locks of her hair behind her right ear. She hummed contently at his soft touch, her eyes closing.

Despite the dangers she was in, she truly felt content whenever she was near him.

"There are a few others doing the same" he told her and she reopened her eyes, and stared at his beautiful hazel eyes.

"I would have thought all of you warriors would all drink the night away, like some barbarian Vikings" she teased him.

He grimaced slightly and she laughed, a mischievous glint entering her eyes.

"Did Harfang try to convince you?" she asked teasingly.

"He did" he admitted to her with a weak smile and she giggled before she looked at him coyly.

"And how did you get away?" she asked before she mock gasped "Did you sneak away from him?" her eyes sparkled with mirth.

His face turned sour "I did not sneak away" he defended himself but she caught the slight hesitation on his face and looked at him expectantly.

"I had him distracted with a keg of Pumpkin Ale" he told her hesitantly though she said the amusement in his eyes and her lips twitched, struggling to contain herself before he continued.

"He just picked it up and began drinking, down his gullet, cheers ringing all over the place." He rolled his eyes in exasperation "When he finished, he let off a great belch and said" his face changing into a pantomime expression of Longbottom, his voice mimicking Longbottom

"I am Harfang Longbottom of the Longbottom. Blood of the Vikings runs through my veins and now…" Charlus paused theatrically and let go of her waist, his arms aloft "SO DOES AAAAAAAAAAALE" he shouted into the sky, his face facing upward as he shook his body to mimic how Longbottom shook his body every time he spoke and Dorea laughed.

Oh she laughed so hard that tears prickled her eyes and Charlus had joined her with soft chuckles.

"Ah that man" Charlus said with fond exasperation "He ended being carried away on the shoulders of several men, all of them chanting Longbottom"

"I'll have to speak to Callidora next time I see her" Dorea said after she managed to catch her breath, a smile on her face. "I've never heard of Harfang's antics before and I find it hard to believe Callie could remain so quiet about it"

Charlus' eyes widened and shook his head rapidly "You cannot tell Lady Longbottom about this" he said in a hasty tone.

Dorea looked at him startled and tilted her head in surprise. "Why?" she asked genuinely confused.

Charlus grabbed the bridge of his nose "You know her right?" he asked her with a worried glance.

She looked at him offended "Of course, she's my cousin" she stared him stupefied.

She had known the woman for a long time.

"Then you know that as…boisterous as Harfang is, she is as equally…no-nonsense." He said to her pointedly.

Her eyes widened and she almost gaped at Charlus "You mean to…" she haltingly said and Charlus nodded seriously, a solemn expression on his face.

"Oh yes. Old Harfang is rarely as…expressive as he is right now." Charlus' lips twitched "Back home, he is dutiful Lord Longbottom, stern faced and all so serious" Charlus lips twitched with barely suppressed mirth.

Dorea laughed once more. She could see it…oh she could all too clearly see it.

Callidora Black was a stern woman, even in her youth. She took no dragon dung from anybody, even grandfather Phineas and if you knew the man, you knew what kind of feat that was. She had scared Dorea in her youth with that soulful gaze that made it seem like she knew exactly what you did, no matter how good you might have hidden it.

When she'd discovered about the mind-arts, she was certain Callidora was a legilimencer, to the point she point blankly had asked her father about her who told her that as far as he knew, Callidora wasn't.

She hadn't believed it for a second.

"I can see it" she said with a voice full of mirth "So he's gone to war, where he can unleash all that pent up aggression because his wife has neutered him?"

Charlus grimaced "Pretty much" he allowed "I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to remain at war for several years more"

Dorea shook her head "Truly? Their marriage is that bad?" she wondered. She hadn't heard any problems about their marriage.

Though…

Given how…private purebloods were, she doubted she would have heard anything but how everything was all sunshine and rosy. Pride was certainly something they all had in spades and for others to know about troubles in your marriage…well, many of the important families were Slytherins and showing weakness would never be allowed. Callidora was the epitome of Slytherin so she was not surprised if things were suppressed.

"No, I don't think so." Charlus denied "I don't think he would allow her to stifle him so but perhaps with the kind of woman she is and what she expects, he caters to her" He looked down at the courtyard "Likely from a place of care…if not love for her"

Dorea stared at him and after a moment, her index finger travelled underneath his chin and made him turn towards her. "I do not want you to cater your personality…or your behaviour for me once we're married" she told him softly, her eyes serious.

Charlus smiled at her forlornly "I would change my whole world for you, Dor" he told her softly, his hand stroking her reddening cheeks with such care…

She smiled at him, her heart skipping a beat at his proclamation.

She had beaten it in…metaphorically of course…for the most part…in him that they were to be married, her brother's wishes to be damned. She would risk being disowned over being denied marrying him. Charlus was hers, and she was his.

"Be careful when you get there." She whispered to him, her eyes were beseeching.

"I will" he promised to her "I have you to get back to." He said with an easy half smile, the rogueish smile that never failed to charm her.

"Besides, it's not as if we have to go fight Vampires even though they are rampaging across Europe" Charlus' eyes darkened slightly despite the humour in his voice.

Dorea had been glad about that. Vampires were exceedingly difficult to kill.

They were quicker than werewolves, weaker true, but they made that up by being faster. That is not to say that they weren't strong. Certainly they were amongst the stronger creatures and worse, they kept their intelligence once they were turned.

All of that made them a nightmare enemy to battle. Fire and decapitation where the only things that truly destroyed them. The killing curse did not work on them which how they knew they had no souls. Dark magic worked as well but if they escaped with a wound, they would recover, somehow their own internal magic overrode the lingering magic of Dark curses.

Several Vampire Covens had aligned with Grindelwald and wreaked havoc in the newly liberated territories in Eastern Europe, tying up a large percentage of the ICW forces to continue to be embroiled there that otherwise would have continued to cut through Grindelwald held countries.

It had come unexpected, this alliance as Vampires and wizards did not get on. Out of all the creatures, Vampires were the one that their kind had an uneasy truce with Vampires, not being able to dominate them, and both knew that a war between would spell devastating losses for either side.

It was one thing to fight against a defenceless muggle but a wizard that could create an inferno? To fight against a creature that could blend into the night and be at your throat before you even blink?

"I'm very glad you're not dealing with that" Dorea told him firmly.

Charlus glanced at her and smiled softly "We would have been fine."

Atticus had refused the assignment, informing the commanders that it was time to West, his meaning clear to them. From what Charlus had told her, they'd been unhappy he'd refused but relented anyway…not that they could do much about it, she thought to herself.

"We would have had the mighty Atticus Sayre to make sure we'd survive, just as he will when we're finally in at the forward base in Mons" Something flashed in his eyes that she didn't quite like.

She frowned slightly. She had known that they had hit it off at the beginning, becoming fast friends but ever since the battle of Genelum, not long before she arrived, he had cooled on Atticus. She knew why but it was just too stupid.

"Don't you think you're being unfair on him?" she asked him gently.

Charlus looked like he'd protest before he relented when he saw the look in her eyes and he sighed. "I am. I know." He sighed, his hand ran through his hair slightly before a frown emerged on his face.

"I just…I just wish he would tell me why he sought such powerful magic" Charlus shook his head "You didn't see the power of that spell…that magic, whatever it was" Charlus looked away, directly to the full moon that hung above them, a disturbed look on his face.

"It was…deity-like Dor…the kinds of magic we would tell tales about the ancient mages of old, those who could shatter entire countries, those who create storms and swallow entire lands with but a wave of the staff." Charlus turned back to her "That kind of power…I'm just worried that he isn't what he seems like." His eyes shone with concern and conflict.

"Don't you think he sought it against Grindelwald?" She questioned him.

Charlus glanced at her, a look in his eyes that made it clear that he did think it was that, at least partially.

"I can't help but think there is just…more to it." He said a little hesitantly.

Dorea could understand his trepidation.

She had known him perhaps the longest and likely was one of his first friends. There was always a mystique air about him, as if he always knew something and looked at all of them as if they were but mere smoke, incorporeal in the little world his mind was always in, a world where he spent most of his time obsessively study this or that magic.

Most people thought it was rudeness, a kind of rudeness that stemmed from arrogance but it had never been like that. He simply never really valued human interaction.

He certainly loved creatures more than he did people. Though had begun to change as he aged, became more comfortable around people, the cold gaze in his eyes thawing out as he began to open up to friends.

Even more so when he met her. She resisted a desire to shiver at the thought of that girl.

Emily Riddle…no Emily Slytherin.

She could never understand how he could come to love that… cruel, heartless snake. She was horrible, cruel and utterly unredeemable.

Or at least that was what she thought initially. The girl had changed somewhat once the Sayres had taken her in, a kind of light had entered her eyes that had given her something else than just malevolence.

It made her human.

And Atticus…

Well, she'd seen the love he'd bore for her, however unlikely he might have thought it possible.

For her friend, she was happy that he found someone to love, even if she distinctly doubted that cold hearted bitch was capable of any kind of depth of love beyond it being shallow.

Atticus was a prize after all, she mused to herself privately. Despite his…aloof nature, she knew in his heart that there existed a kind man, a loyal man. And that is without considering his prodigious capability in magic, his heritage.

She was not so blind to say that Atticus Sayre could win over any woman had he desired and there was a time when he could have won her, before she fell in love with Charlus.

But it seemed fate had different ideas for them both.

In any case, Atticus had always seemed to her to be someone who learnt anything he could and someone who only acted when he needed to.

"Atticus has a great many of secrets, I have no doubt about that" she told him, conceding the point that might not be what he seems "But I know he isn't evil or dark. Nor do I think his intentions are either." Charlus looked down at her with a contemplative expression.

"Atticus has always loved magic Charlus, even when we first met as little children" She chuckled softly at the thought which earned her a questioning look and she answered "I remember this one time where he'd be under this tree, a tome in his hands that looked bigger than he was" she shook her head in mirth "He looked so unhappy to be disrupted from his reading when Lucretia asked him to play" she turned serious and turned to Charlus "Despite being unhappy, he accepted and played with the children of the event despite it being clear that he was uncomfortable."

Charlus looked at her slightly confused and she sighed "What I am saying is, there isn't an inherent malicious bone in his body. He would not do something cruel or dark without there being a very good reason." She told him kindly.

She would be lying if she did not believe that Atticus could do something horrible but she knew that he was kind of man that would have very good reason for it and somehow she just knew he wouldn't do it to innocent people.

"I see" he murmured, more to himself than anything else.

"He won't part with his secrets just because you are friends." She continued "No one in any of our families would, Charlus, to ask it of him is unfair" she pointedly said and he grunted in acceptance.

"I just…I just know that there is a greater purpose to it" Charlus said a little tiredly "He gets this look in his eye sometimes, like he lost in his thoughts, even as we speak"

Dorea looked at him curiously. "You truly see him as a friend?"

Charlus looked at her surprised "Of course" he said offended.

She nodded slowly "Then have a bit of faith in him – not blindly – not like those men who see him as if he is Merlin reborn" Morgana wasn't that a surprise. She had known Atticus had a draw to him but never had she imagined he could draw an army to himself.

Though she suspected much of it was his acts of seeming like he's just another one of them. Which was strange…

She knew that Atticus likely preferred to be alone, he was like that. Not a great social individual but he made efforts with the men.

"But just have a little" she squeezed his arm.

He smiled down at her, warmly "I do." He shook his head "It's just my frustration and wariness…" he trailed off.

She decided to change the subject and they spent the next hour talking before they parted, Charlus having been called down by Harfang much to her amusement.

She'd taken the time to just…walk around the open upper sections until she came across Atticus sitting on his lonesome at the top of one of the parapets of the base, staring towards the skies with his legs hanging off the ledge.

She stood still for a moment, watching him for a few minutes deciding what to do.

She decided and she walked towards him, climbing up the stairs and not long she was there standing just behind him.

He didn't look around but he gestured with his hand "Please sit Dorea" he said in a kind tone.

She pursed her lips. She really wanted to know how he did that. Apparently he just knew whenever and whomever was near him.

It was a little creepy.

Nevertheless, she did as he bid.

She glanced at him and saw he had a strange expression on his face as he stared at the stars.

"Hoping to find some answers in the stars?" she began with a light tone, breaking the silence they were in.

A half smile graced his face, one softer than she'd seen before. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes before he returned to look at the stars. "Perhaps." His voice was delicate, cultured and held a kind of melancholy that felt strange to hear from him.

She stared at him, her eyes searching his face. His hair wasn't tied back like it usually was and fell freely from his head.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you are brooding" she pried lightly.

He hummed noncommittally, at least that was what she thought he did "But then I do know you and this is…strange even for you" she said knowingly.

He turned to her and purple fire bored down on her, the green embers within that violet fire flickered like scale flying off from hammered hot steel. There was an intensity in his gaze that she had never seen before and it left her wary and concerned.

His eyes softened, the fire in his eyes dimmed but they were still there, ever present. "I'd say I'm more…contemplative than I am brooding" Atticus' voice was as calm as a cloudless summer sky.

"About?" she couldn't help but feel a little concern for her friend.

He didn't respond immediately, electing to gaze back at the stars. After a moment, he spoke "It is a beautiful night, isn't it?"

She turned to where he was gazing. It was a beautiful night though she was beginning to feel annoyed at his evasion.

"It is." She finally said, her eyes looking at the North Star. It shone much brighter than all of the other stars, its radiance overshadowed the countless of other stars that painted the night sky.

"I find it soothing to look at the stars. Especially on nights like this" She continued.

Atticus hummed in agreement, a sound that had a pleased tone to it.

"They put things in perspective, I find" Atticus responded to her, something was etched in his voice but she isn't certain what it is.

She took a moment to think about it. "And what is it that needs the kind of perspective distant stars gives?" she asks slowly.

He turned to her, his obscuring some of his pale face. Her eyes widen as she sees the dark rings underneath his eyes.

His eyes…they'd lost the vibrancy they held usually and her eyes widened in great surprise.

"Atticus…" she starts out concernedly.

Before she knew it, she reached out to him, her hand covering his and life returned to his normally beautiful eyes.

He shook his head clear, as if to wish away whatever was affecting him. He tapped her hand gently, before carefully withdrawing both of them, as if they represented him withdrawing into himself.

"What will you do after the war?" he asked suddenly in a questioning tone, one full sincerity and she was startled at the sudden change of topic.

She blinked at him nonplussed for a moment and she made out to ask what that had been about but the slight tilt of his head, the curious gaze in his eyes made her falter and give in.

She would not receive an answer to her questions. She knew that now.

She wondered what happened to the boy she knew. He was obviously there but at times…

Perhaps there was more to Charlus' words than she had given him credit for. Atticus had always been disconnected from most people in a certain way.

She had thought he was getting better…

"I'll likely work at St. Mungos" she tells, unsure of where this was going. "If the war ends anyway" she said a little offhandedly before she brushed her hair back behind her ears.

He smiles at her, as if he knew something, that strange dull glint in his eye reappeared for a moment before it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared.

"You should go travel before you work there full time" he suggested to her.

Her eyebrows rose "Really?" she asked sceptically "I'm not really a travelling person" she told him.

A quirk of his lips suggested his bemusement to her answer. "You don't have to be a travelling person to go see the wonders of this world Dorea." He tilted his head, his eyes shone brightly as if he seemed to be lost in his dreams, a look she had seen often when they'd speak of magic…or rather when he spoke to her.

"You can't tell me you've never been curious to see the nine tailed foxes of Japan, the great serpent dragons of China that soar through the skies or even the herds of the giant six legged Elephants of Tanzania, elephants with tusks that were as thick as a man and ten feet long?" He posed to her with teasing smile.

She snorted very unladylike at that. Of course he would mention that to her. He'd helped her in Care of Magical Creatures class when she had found difficulty in writing essays about little known, at least in Britain, magical creatures. He'd helped her in choosing those creatures for her essay.

"I have to admit I would like to see the Peabody Geckos" her eyes sparkled with amusement.

His eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly, a moment passed before his face contorted in an aghast expression. And most likely slightly affronted.

She couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

"Out of all the creatures, you want to see glow stick little lizards?" he asked flabbergasted.

She stopped giggling and looked at him oddly "Glow stick?" she queried with the quirk of her eyebrow and he waggled his index finger in a reproaching way.

"Don't you change the subject" he said in a mock authoritative gesture.

Her lips twitched "I find them cute" she shrugged carelessly.

He looked at her with a deadpan expression "You're right. You're not a travelling person. In fact, you should always remain in Britain" he said with seriousness etched on his face.

She stared at him unimpressed before they both broke out in chuckles.

They fell in an easy silence once more, the familiarity of Atticus easing her concerns for her friend though it would not go away.

"How is that family you rescued from Switzerland?" she questioned him.

He smiled at her warmly "They're fine. I had them sent to across the sea, to where they had family living" a glint in his eye shone "Even if they had not known it"

"Oh?" she questioned as she crossed her legs, leaning against one of the stone pillars. He followed her action and did the same though his legs were outstretched on her left. He leaned his head against the stone pillar.

"Yes, the relatives had asked I look out for their remaining family if I had time and well, they are good people" he shrugged lightly.

"That was nice of you" she murmured softly.

He hummed "It wasn't much to do on my part"

Dorea looked at him with sceptical eyes "They were holed up in a prison, not like Genelum but they certainly were in one, holed up with a few other families. You broke them out with just three other people. Against two dozen enemy fighters" she deadpanned.

He scratched the back of his head "They are very good people?" he said with a wry smile.

She scoffed "They must be saints then" she said exasperated. She wouldn't ask who the relatives were. If he was being careful it meant that they were likely influential and he didn't want them to be known, even amongst friends.

"What about you?" she asked curiously, her eyes carefully hiding her interest. "What do you plan on doing after the war?"

Only a slight shift in his expression indicated that he was once more closing himself off.

He turned his head away from her and looked to the horizon that was faintly illuminated by the light of the Moon.

"Build" he answered simply though she saw a gleam in his eyes.

She frowned slightly "Build?" she parroted and he turned to her, slightly, his lips were curled into a half smile, his eyes showed a kind of sadness that she couldn't really identify.

"It would do me good to just…build" He gave off a silent sigh. "I miss working on my projects like I used to at Hogwarts" he told her.

Her eyes widened. Rumours had been flying off his entire time at Hogwarts given that he tended to disappear quite often, something she had no clue how he had kept doing.

He never told her anything on what he did when he disappeared, always just said 'magic'. For him to admit that he did have projects…

And she wasn't ashamed to say she was intensely curious as to what those projects might be. Knowing him, it would leave her stupefied.

"I agree" she said softly to him and he looked at her with a curious expression.

"There's no doubt that all of this seems to weigh on you" She brushed her locks away and unfurled her legs from underneath her and stretched them out.

"I've known you a long time – though I probably don't know you as well as one should" she tilted her in an inquisitive way as she studied him. "But if there is one thing that I do know for certain, is that you do care the utmost for magic and the magical world." She waved her hand around them

"Taking responsibility of being a leader of these people who these days seem to fight for you, rather than with you." She shook her head lightly and smiled softly at him "You've always been a kind friend, Atticus. You feel a responsibility to these men, each death weighs on you, even if you would deny it, even to yourself."

She grew a little serious, her face was kinder "And with each victory, and with each display of your powerful magic, the pressure builds for you to win this war and defeat Grindelwald, despite the fact you're still only eighteen"

That was what really bothered her at times. Not the kind of adulation that he got but rather the expectations they held for him. Like they had always done, even before this war.

When he was just a prodigy in magic, in Transfiguration. They expected him to Merlin reincarnated and now…with Grindelwald seeming to be undefeatable and Atticus unstoppable…

Atticus had always taken the expectations well, more than just well. But now…

"I'm not surprised that this has had a toll on you." She finished, her voice a little softer.

Their eyes met, both of them staring intently at each other until Atticus chuckled lightly.

"Dorea, never let anyone tell you that you aren't perceptive" he said in a warm tone, a bright smile coming across his face, one that seemed to dissipate the weariness that had surrounded him.

"I am a Black" she said matter of factly "We trade in information like they're knuts"

Atticus' lips twitched "I have no doubt about that"

They fell into an easy silence once more as they turned to the night sky, both of them silently enjoying each other's company, with brief conversation about inane things, irrelevant things until Dorea felt sleep beckoning her in.

She got up and with a flick of her wand, brushed off the dirt from her Healer robes.

"I'm going to turn for the night now, I think" she told him and he turned to her and nodded.

"I understand" he said to her before he paused for a moment, staring at her intently with a curious expression. "You're a good friend Dorea."

"I know" she responded haughtily.

He gave a small bemused smile before he once more hung his feet off the ledge of the walls, turning away from her.

She started to walk away, an impulse caused to stop and turn for a moment. "Will you be okay?" she asks as she stared at his back.

"I will be…I think" he tells her, his eyes once more remaining fixed on the stars and his voice a little strange.

She blinked it away and carried on walking, deep in thought.

The sounds of fast approaching steps broke her out of her thoughts and she saw Parkinson and someone from the ICW running towards her.

She frowned at their expressions.

The ICW man ran past her but she caught Parkinson by the arm "What's going on?" she demanded. Parkinson looked at her with a glare before he told her.

"Grindelwald has assaulted the main fortress in Belgium. Belgium is on the brink of being lost and should it be lost completely…" Parkinson trailed off but the meaning was clear to Dorea.

"You're all leaving now?" Dorea asked concernedly.

"We are." Parkinson began pry his arm from her hands "We're leaving now" he told her before he wrung his arm free from her grip and made towards Atticus.

Her eyes widened and her mind whirled.

If Belgium was lost…

Belgium represented a huge bulk of the ICW forces and if they were lost…

It would once more cast doubt of the possibility of winning this war. It would be a blow of massive proportions. Not truly on manpower but on morale. What would it matter if Grindelwald could simply turn up and decimate your army?

She stilled and looked back at the parapet where Atticus had been. Her eyes widened as she saw only Parkinson and the ICW man, arguing furiously before Parkinson cut him off and apparated away.

Where was Atticus, did he already leave? She wondered

She walked in a daze towards her quarters, men around flittering about, in a rush as they prepared to head away.

"Dor" she heard yelled and she turned towards the call.

"Charlus" she said in a worried tone. He walked towards, his hands rubbing her arms.

"I have to go" he told her solemnly.

"Grindelwald?" she asked with a pit in her stomach.

He nodded slightly "Yes." His tone was grim but there was a kind of determination in his eyes that did not cool the fires of concern she felt. He smiled wryly, his face tilting in that charming way "At least I won't fight vampires like some of the others will"

"What?" she asked perplexed.

He turned serious once more "The attack in Belgium isn't the only large scale attack" he set his jaw, his eyes burning with anger "It seems like there is a large contingent of vampires attacking the French Ministry. They've asked for aid and have threatened to pull out of the ICW if we do not help" his tone was filled with contempt.

"I see" she said after she blinked a few times before she frowned "Who's going?" she questioned.

"It is being led by Prewitt, Bulstrode, Lockhart, Harfang and Delacour" he paused for a moment "I think that Japanese mage is also going there, Atticus had asked him to go personally"

"I see" she murmured. Atticus asked Hirahito go, personally?

"But you're not going there?" she said a little quietly.

"No" he shook his head before he smiled grimly "I will be relieving the Belgian front with Atticus, Parkinson and the others"

Her eyes widened slightly before she murmured "I think I'd rather want you fighting vampires than him…they're lesser monsters in comparison"

He chuckled softly before he gently caressed her cheek with his thumb "I will come back to you, I swear it to you" he whispered to her, his earnest brown eyes shone beautifully.

She looked at him with concern in her eyes. She had many things to say…to ask but she found herself unable to in the moment.

She nodded "Keep your promise" she told him firmly, settling on what mattered most…him coming back to her.

He kissed her on the lips "I will" he promised her.

She nodded and he let go of her and walked away, with a final glance over his shoulder before he walked towards Harfang and Bones.

Her stomach was uneasy and would remain so until she saw him again.

-Break-

Credence POV

Credence felt the warmth of the dry earth exuded through the remnants of his robes as he lied on the ground, sprawled and shattered. The warm gentle air kissed his face, even as dust coated his skin. The earth felt hard and cracked, life within the soil having been seared off by the battle that had been fought…and lost.

He closed his eyes for a moment, focused on riding out the wave of despair and defeat that surged in him. He had known the futility of fighting against him. He had known the chances of surviving to enjoy the benefits of being chained to the ICW was extremely low.

"Nagini…" he whispered, achingly…longingly.

It seemed that he would not be able to fulfil the promise he had given her after all.

And…

Was this not as he expected?

His eyes cracked open, ever so slightly, and he remained still, not by choice but because he dared not move for he knew his body was a broken vessel, thrashed and ripped apart.

His breathing was low, haltingly, his chest barely moved for the slightest movement would throw him into another pained spiral.

He had forgotten the sensations of severe physical pain, the sensation he'd been so familiar with when he had been but a child. Something he was harshly reminded off this night, this night he knew that he was likely to die.

His eyes travelled skyward, his nose and mouth filled with the smell and taste of ash and fire that surrounded him, his ears tuning out the soft crackles of fire that whispered into the night into faint background noise.

He stared, and put as much concentration as he could to refocus his eyes, at the full moon that looked down at him, a witness, a watcher of all that transpires on Earth.

Time flowed so slow, it seemed to Credence as he continued to stare at the silent Moon with the face that it always showed, even if was slightly distorted because of the wards that were sprung, its clockwork never once faltering.

Faces…

He'd always found solace in that, the fact that the Moon and the stars were ever reliable, ever baring their true nature, the same face, to him when so many others did not, would not. Age did not diminish this appreciation of his, if anything it only strengthened it.

He was familiar, intimately, with the different faces people wore…those that they wanted others to see, those they wanted no one to see and the ones they showed to those that were their targets…their victims, their enemies…their family.

Mary Lou Barebones had shown him of the multitude of faces she wore, The Fanatic Leader of Witch-Hunters-To-Be, The Hypocrite Christian who prayed and shown piety whilst she tormented and abused him and the other orphans with impunity and glee…The Devout Mother who hated her children and used them for her ambitions.

People believed that faces were hard to see, hard to show. His hands clenched, painfully, onto the dried, cracked earth as clumps of earth fell apart into fine dusty sand, as easily as despair rose in him.

No…

They were not. It was simply everyone had their own traitorous faces, faces that deliberately obscured their reasoning, their observations as they deluded themselves in the perilous hope filled desire of them being true. Credence was not unique in this. He had worn those faces, oh so many times, for oh so long, the faces that had desired to meet the expectations of those who proclaimed to care for him, the faces he wore to make them proud, ignoring the ringing in his mind as he lapped up their meagre words of encouragement…of praise…the occasions they came at all.

All the while they abused him in one way or another.

Rage built within his core, indignation burnt through his veins as he gritted his teeth, the depleted magic within him soaring like leaf within a thunderstorm, higher and higher, and he willed himself to reassemble the broken pieces that made up his body into something that could stand, and it was a feat that proved to be a herculean task.

Pain was a sensation that coursed through his body like liquid lightning, nerves and bones were alight with burning intent, so much so that it was affecting his eyes, turning his vision cloudy and hazy and a agonised cry forced through his lips but the fires of rage and indignation and refusal to die on his back won out as he rolled to his knees and finally to his feet.

He took the moment and spied towards his left side, most of the dragon hide skin had been torn off, violently and his arm was little better off. His left arm had been unrecognisable, mangled, as if it had been put through the jaws of a shark, every single tooth jaggedly carving out pieces.

His eyes travelled to the wristband that hung on his right arm, a string of silk with a bead like capsule tightly entwined within the strands of silk. He had expected to need it…but he had wondered if he would ever be given the opportunity, knowing death would come so easily against him.

He did not know how he survived that attack…despite Xavier's sacrifice...and if he were to survive this…

He brought his arm to his mouth, the capsule was between his teeth and he bit down, the liquid, for a moment, was on his tongue before he swallowed it.

He gasped as he felt the liquid begin its work, remnants of soothing trills, life giving fire seeped into his being, and bones that had fractures, wounds that left him with gapes and cuts on his body, were beginning to knit closed, the incredible healing potential of the tears rebuilding his body with incredible speed.

He glanced at his left arm, the cuts were closing but was riddled, permanently with red lines that he knew he would never be able to remove. Even Phoenix tears could not heal wounds like this permanently.

His body still ached and he doubted he was anywhere near his best. And the matter of his magic…

He was not depleted but it would not matter. If both he and Xavier could not defeat Grindelwald together, could not even harm him when they threw all they had…what chance did he alone?

When his obscurus form was locked away, the one time he needed it the most?

That had been something he had never expected, never dreamed was possible. It seemed Grindelwald never stopped his studies in the Obscurus form, even if he could not harness its power.

And Xavier…

Credence closed his eyes. Xavier had sacrificed himself by taking the brunt of that attack.

'No need for us both to die yet' Xavier's calm voice rang in his ears.

'Not when it is you who must bear further more, to continue to delay, even at the cost of your life' Xavier's voice had been full of faith, to the point that it sounded as if he was back at church, listening to the priest when he'd been giving sermons, the absolute belief in his God ran with every word he had said.

Credence had never found faith to that extent, the only thing that came even close was his faith in Nagini and their ability to weather whatever life threw at them and even then…

He had his doubts.

He glanced around and saw…All around him there was rubble, shattered stone that had been burnt to cinders where once they stood as great walls and the moonlight shined down on them in this open air, darkness having receded, as if it had never been there.

Gashes in the cracked earth as wide as roads and as deep as caverns riddled the site. Bodies, burnt and ripped apart alike strew across the rubble. The poor, brave, foolish men who decided to interfere in this…arena…he made.

Credence outstretched his healed hand and with an exertion of will, demanded his wand back to his hand and after a few moments, something flew into his hand, the familiar thrum of his wand connecting with his magic gave him a content moment that lasted far too briefly. He glanced at his wand, cracks were appearing around the circumference of his wand, his fingertips trailing over the crevices that there were now, an odd feeling of loss took him.

It was a night of loss it seemed.

He did not merely surprise the ICW contingent at the heavily fortified base, no…he decimated the defences, scythed through the wards and destroyed much of the base before descending down on them all in the dead of night.

Only Xavier's quick thinking had prevented a total loss, offering a spectacle to their enemy where they would stop the battle and if they lost, they would all surrender.

Credence had not protested, despite knowing the depravity that lied in his mind, that death was a much kinder fate than what he would have in mind for many of them.

Xavier was a man of faith, something that Credence did not understand and he knew that Xavier believed that a small window of hope was preferable to none, especially when the men were close to deserting, weeks of no progress, weeks of being whittled down again and again, many of them falling to his wand.

He had looked at them with mocking eyes, eyes that betrayed understanding he had of the situation and yet…

He accepted and thus the lost battle had ended, and like the moon, both groups watched them from afar, beyond the wardline, gazing at them just as the Moon did though…

…not with the silent, neutral face the Moon, for one group watched with fear and despair and the other with sadistic glee.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The sounds of clapping reverberated around his ears like echoes atop a mountain, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Wet exhaled air left his mouth in an uneven breath as a shiver, involuntarily, almost a reflect that was honed over years of being subjected to the same sarcastic clapping that mocked and showed amusement of his meagre achievements, down his spine.

Though…

This time…

The clapping was sinister, no longer sarcastic, no longer done by a man intent on keeping his loyalty.

It would be so easy…

So easy to call upon Fawkes and to escape through a burst of fire, to safety, to Nagini.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment.

No…

He would not leave now, not when he had given his word to Ramirez, not when he had finally found something to fight for beyond Nagini, to atone for his sins.

He would not piss on Xavier's sacrifice.

He'd decided.

He would buy time, just as Xavier wanted.

Fawkes would remain watching over Nagini, away from him. The added chance of Fawkes being captured and subjected to De Galle's insanity was too high, even if it was minimal.

Through much effort, a task that nearly proved to be as herculean as the feat to simply stand, he turned towards the direction of where the sound was strongest.

Eyes the brightness of twilight stars bore down at him, radiant silver and cerulean blue the colour of deep ice, both of those eyes belonging to a face that was shadowed by malice and disdain.

His true face…

The very air turned heavy, the magical power he exuded was draped around him as it were a winter cloak, one made of blackness, of darkness, made ever more jarring and contrasting as eyes the brightness of twilight stars, radiant silver and cerulean ice blue, bared down at him, the presence of murder and madness was palpable and he could taste it in the very air.

They were aglow, teeming with power. Where once upon a time those eyes were inviting, magnetic, they were instead filled with malicious promise, promise that his last moments of life would not be easy.

Credence thought of Fawkes' soothing trill, the mere thought of the song sent vibrations through every fibre of his being and a calm descended down on him, his fears cauterised at the roots.

Credence schooled his face and an expression of neutral calm was worn as he stared down the monster, meeting the eyes of the man who once had been a mentor.

Grindelwald strode forward, magic crackled as he walked, power roiled off of him in a swirling black tempest as he strode forward.

Credence's eyes went towards Grindelwald's right arm that seemed to appear out of the swirling black tempest and a breathlessness caught him, his heart constricted for a brief moment.

Dangling from the tight grip Grindelwald had on the blood soaked blond hair was Xavier's disfigured severed head, blood dripped from the neck.

Credence closed his eyes, the twisted pained look on Xavier's face flashed in front of him, in his mind.

He hoped Xavier found peace, wherever his soul was.

He reopened his eyes, his eyes were cold and neutral, his gaze met Grindelwald's.

"That attack would have killed you not three years ago" Grindelwald said with a drawl and a lazy smile, one that did not reach the contempt he held in his eyes.

Grindelwald broke the gaze for a moment, and brought up his arm and lifted Xavier's desecrated head upwards, a mocking smile on his face.

"It seems like the old boy did teach you something…in the short period of time you had" the cruelness of his tone was plain to hear.

"It's a shame" Grindelwald mused, shifting his tone to one of inquisitiveness as he stared at the severed head "That he never truly trained himself to wield the power he held." He said as magic began to swirl around his arm, black tendrils turned to black flames and the head began to burn in blue black flames and as the last of the hairs burnt away, the head remained mid-air until it was subsumed completely by the fires.

Credence struggled to contain himself.

'Buy time, buy time, buy time' he repeated to himself.

"If only he had" Grindelwald laughed, his laughter rang like death itself before he mechanically turned towards Credence, his eyes boring into him, his face twisting into a curling smile, one that spoke of his own superiority.

"Perhaps he could have improved you more from the disappointment you are, not needing to sacrifice himself to save you. How far you've come, Aurilius" Grindelwald's smile turned sharp.

"I'm almost proud" Grindelwald mocked, his face twisting in a sneer, his magic rising as he finished speaking and if the sounds of clapping had been like echoes, the magic that crashed into him felt an avalanche. It was pure blackness that caused the very air to grow thick with malicious pressure, magic flavoured with rage and cruelty that was unmatched.

Credence's breath was shuddering and he trembled. If it was because his inability to resist the magic or because of distress, he did not know.

He supposed it did not matter and for a brief moment, he couldn't but laugh.

Out of all the things to say, Grindelwald said that.

His laughter turned from raucous laughter to one tinged with fury and hate as his face twisted into an ugly snarl

"No doubt you're proud." Credence sneered at Grindelwald who looked at him with an impassive expression as he stopped striding forward, his arms lazily by his sides.

Credence's eyes glinted for a moment "After all" Credence's sneered twisted into a feral smile, one that bared his teeth as rage overwhelmed his common sense, a rage that prompted him to prod and poke in any way he could "Am I not doing what you would done in my place" Credence's voice was practically a purr as he enjoyed the slight darkening of Grindelwald's eyes "Betray and deceive, just as the apprentice had been betrayed and deceived?"

Grindelwald's eyes narrowed momentarily before he began to smile a dangerous, threatening smile, one that slowly crept on his face "And how do you think I betrayed you?"

Credence's eyes hardened as he gripped his wand tightly. "You once told me you'd show me what it means to be magical…" Credence's face cycled through a myriad of emotions as he remembered, the few isolated occasions, no matter if they had been genuine or not, that he still cherished.

Credence's eyes hardened as his thoughts settled "That I was amongst our people" his jaw set for a moment "And yet…all you have shown me is what it is to be a monster, what it is like to be amongst monsters"

Grindelwald laughed, his laugh was colder than the coldest of wintery nights, his eyes gleamed with intent to harm "And you believe that you are any different?" Grindelwald smile was predatory now "Come now, Aurilius" his tone was prodding, almost entreating "we both know you're no different, you simply lacked the will to truly embrace what you are…" Grindelwald's words seemed to draw him in, to welcome him in and…

Credence snapped out of it, he slashed his wand towards Grindelwald, a furious Diffindo sprang from his wand, one that Grindelwald dispassionately batted away with but a mere flick of the wand as he continued on, as nothing happened "You are a creature made out of misery, pain and loathing, you are the embodiment of what it is to be a monster, one created out of the deeds of others" Grindelwald paused a moment, his eyes darkening as he leaned forward slightly as he stared at Credence.

"NO!" Credence lost control and snarled at Grindelwald and began his attack "IGNIS TEMPESTAS" he snarled, and his wand crackled with intense light before a swirling firestorm ruptured from his wand, one that grew and grew, until it became a wave the height of the greatest Tsunami, a great curtain of fire hot enough to melt even the hardest of stone.

Grindelwald's wand rose to mid waist in less than a tenth of a blink of an eye, the dark swirling magic that surrounded him bloomed like the most the sun starved flower.

Credence no longer cared to buy time, no…

"Ever the impulsive boy you always were dear Credence"

Grindelwald's laughter was haunting, it was one of madness and delight all rolled into one. "Never able to keep your cool, even when you must"

"SHUT UP!" With a slash, Credence poured every ounce of his being and magic into the spell, malice and hatred coloured his intentions, his being and so the reds of the fires turned malignant red, the hatred rolled off it not unlike Fiendfyre.

Even amidst the sea of fire that rushed towards him, Grindelwald remained cool, his voice echoed through the air.

"What else is your purpose but to exact what has been done to you? To coat the world in misery as you ripped them apart, to paint the world in pain as you tortured them for their defiance against our once united cause, to inspire hatred in the hearts of the remaining families of the men you killed" Grindelwald's delight could be heard in his voice.

"My purpose is never that. I am more than what has been done to me, I am not a monster, I am nothing like YOU!" Credence roared as the fire stormed towards Grindelwald.

Had Credence not been lost to his anger, his frustration, he would have known the air had plummeted to drastically low levels.

Magic began to fill the air as Grindelwald stood impassive, his odd wand having risen high above his head, the dark swirl of magic that surrounded him having grown twice as large.

"You are right" Grindelwald's cool voice permeated through the air and with a simple flick, the barest of twist of the wrist, a furious whirlwind made out of blades of air tore through the tempest of fire, breaking the curtain into small pockets of fire, ever growing smaller as the condensed air suffocated the oxygen out of the fire as it were but nothing.

Grindelwald swivelled his wand and the small pockets of fires that survived turned into blue flickers of fire that soon took the shape of crows and they crowed, one that reeked of haunting menace before they joined together, growing into a spiral before the murder of crows descended towards him.

Credence snarled before he rotated around, bending the earth around him into a half dome that the crows crashed into, the crows of fire turned into liquid fire, coating the dome and it began to melt.

With an upward flick of the wand and jab, the remnants of the dome was smashed and sent careening towards Grindelwald, the molten stone whistling in the air as cool air met red hot stone.

Grindelwald looked amused before with a lazy flick, halted the molten stone and with a dismissive wave of the wand vanished it away.

Credence hadn't been idle and he unleashed a hail storm of spells, each of them contained the destructive power to tear entire buildings into smithereens.

Grindelwald raised his arms and conjured a wave of shadows that enveloped him. The spells that would have killed anyone had even one hit were simply…gone as the shield of shadows seemed to snuff the very magic out of the spells.

The shield of shadows seemed to writhe around Grindelwald, a shield should have been impossible, something he had never seen before but Credence had not let up and he turned towards elemental magic and blue lightning crackled out of his wand towards Grindelwald and pierced through the veil of shadows.

Credence eyes widened in shock, disbelief marred his face. Lightning moved at speeds no man or woman could ever perceive and yet…

The blue bolt of lightning was caught at the tip of Grindelwald's wand, the electrifying crackles of the lightning reverberated in the air.

"You are nothing like me" Grindelwald stepped forward, each step felt like a blow to the chest as the magic that roiled from him darkened the world.

He could feel the very air change once more, this time even more repressive as even moonlight seemed to wither under Grindelwald's magic.

The bolt of blue lightning began to turn, as spidery, sickly black strands began to darken the caught spell. It grew in size, doubling, quadrupling before it seemed to larger than Grindelwald himself.

"I am the man who will usher in a golden age, the one who will conquer all that can be conquered" Grindelwald's words sounded like a thunderclap, one that Credence knew would be heard by all.

Credence snapped out of his stupor, anger dominated his thoughts as he threw everything he had learned in the last twenty years at his former mentor.

He transfigured great beasts and shot the darkest of magicks he knew but it was to no avail, a lance of black lightning would spring from Grindelwald's wand and shatter or destroy the spells and transfiguration before they even reached him.

Frustration built within him, warring with the resignation over his fate that threatened to wash over him and he responded with a furious tugging over his soon depleting magic

"DEMERGO PUTEUS ONUS" he roared out, both of his hands gripping onto his wand, straining to pour as much power as he could in the spell.

Grindelwald's eyes gleamed and with an elaborate gesture, raised the large ball of lightning above his head, circling once before he brought his wand down and jabbed towards the incoming spell.

A lance of crackling black lightning tore through the air, just as a ball of blue silver magic crushed the earth along the path it travelled, compacting and rippling through the world as it exerted immense force.

The spells crashed against each in mid-air, the explosion rattled Credence's bones as he hung onto his wand with a deathly grip.

The earth buckled, a crater began to form even as black lightning left deep gouges in the earth as it lashed out uncontrollably.

"And no matter what you do" Grindelwald's voice seemed to be able to heard even through the shock of sounds that came into being from the struggle they were locked into.

Credence felt the strain increase as the gravity spell began to lessen in strength, as the lance of black lightning began to encroach towards Credence.

The lance of lightning was almost upon him and Credence's breath was ragged as his body shook as easily as a house made of poorest of woods during an earthquake.

Credence cried out, as a strand of the black lightning lashed out and had hit him on the right leg, tearing through the dragon hide robes as it was made out of wet paper. He only just managed to stay up

"No matter who stands in my way" The lance of lightning struck his wand, shattering it before it struck him completely, burning through his bare chest and pain became his world as he cried out in toe curling agony, his chest burnt and the smells of burning flesh reached his nose and he collapsed into himself.

His body twitched, severely affected as his nervous system was wrecked by the electric discharge. Black spidery strands were burned into his burnt body, strands that travelled throughout his body, even to his neck and the underside of his left jaw.

Credence groaned out in pain as he struggled to remain conscious.

"Not even a wayward disappointment" Grindelwald's voice seemed to hammer in his mind and Credence, with much effort half opened his eyes and turned his twitching body towards the impassive looking man, someone who looking at him as he were nothing.

"Y-Y-You a-rre n-n-n-nothh-thing b-b-but a l-liar, a c-c-charrr-l-la-tttan w-w-who ppp-pro-missses hon-nney bbbb-but ggg-gives nnn-nothh-thing b-but death and p-p-pain" Credence managed to squeezed out of his barely functioning mouth as he looked at Grindelwald with tremors running through his body, eyes filled with hate.

Grindelwald looked at him with the kind of look on his face that signified that Credence was nothing but an insect to be squashed.

"And what does make you?" Grindelwald said with a soft tone, with eyes that looked down at Credence as Grindelwald stood over him, an uncaring expression on his face.

"You who fell to those honeyed lies?"

"You who latched onto me like a babe suckling on their mother's teat?"

Credence turned away, his trembling hands attempting to clench "A-a f-f-fool" he admitted before he turned back to Grindelwald, anger and hate and pride showing on his face.

He knew tonight was his last night in this world.

"B-b-but I w-wised up…in t-the end" A strength that he did not know he still had swelled inside of him, the trembling of his body slowed.

"And e-eventually…s-s-so will t-the others-s…" Credence drew himself up, even as Grindelwald's eyes began to darken, something that only proved to strength him further.

"When fear no longer holds their hearts-s, when your crimes against our p-people, against what is good in this world becomes too much to b-bear…" Credence looked at Grindelwald with utmost contempt as the last embers of defiance burned in his eyes.

"They will abandon you. Just as I did. Just as my brother did" Credence eyes shone with hard worn victory as something flickered in Grindelwald's face as his lips turned to an ugly sneer.

The temperature dropped and Credence could see his warmth breath evaporate from his mouth.

"Do not speak of HIM" Grindelwald warned harshly before, in a blur he turned his wand towards Credence.

He cried out in agony as his arm was shattered into a mess of flesh and bones.

'I'm sorry Xavier, but I can no longer stand it' he thought to himself.

'Forgive me Nagini…'

Credence looked up at Grindelwald with pure hatred in his eyes. "Finish it" he spat out.

Grindelwald smiled sadistically, his eyes darkened ominously "Did you truly think it would be that easy?" His smile fell as fast as lead anchors thrown into the depths of the sea, his lips were slowly, venomously curling.

A low rumble started in Grindelwald's throat until it grew louder, harsher until it birthed into a laughter, one so malicious that it seemed to suck life out of the world. Grindelwald's arms slowly crept upwards, his arms outstretched and he looked down at Credence.

"Do you think you can so easily taunt me to kill you?" Grindelwald's eyes shone with malicious mirth.

"You will serve as an example, my boy" Grindelwald's eyes shined with pleasure "of what the price of betrayal is, of what the cost of resistance will be" Grindelwald's voice rose, his words were amplified for all too hear.

Grindelwald swivelled around, his arms aloft as he seemed to play to the audience who had stood watching.

He turned back to Credence, a sadistic smile shone on his pale face.

"You thought you could turn your back towards the goal that all of your former comrades were fighting for, a world for magic, a world whereby there would NO. MORE. HIDING" Grindelwald roared out the last words, his men roaring in return.

The ICW forces stood silent, not a single sound was heard from them, he imagined them watching as silently as the moon did.

None had interceded in his fight, not like some of them had during his and Xavier's fight. He supposed he understood.

Grindelwald raised his wand towards Credence, the strange wand glowed with malignant power.

"Do not die so easily, dear Credence" Grindelwald's silky voice sounded out before Credence's world erupted once more in a world of pain, every inch of him destroyed again and again, each millimetre of his being rebuild, slowly, again and again as Grindelwald tore his existence into pieces.

Credence could feel himself slip, into madness, into nothingness as thoughts were slowly becoming a luxury his mind could no longer have.

It would not take much longer for him to die, his pain wrecked mind and body could tell this and…

The curse was lifted, his body and mind welcomed this reprieve as it had been God himself welcoming souls into Heaven. A flash of light nearly blinded him despite his eyes being closed.

The earth rumbled and he felt himself thrown into the air before he felt a kind of weightlessness…

Oh…

He was being floated.

Was it finally…

Time…

His eyelids felt heavy, so heavy...

He managed to creak them, just enough for bright lights to swim in his pupils, before he blinked, several times and could see.

Purple green orbs seemed to float amidst a sea of white light.

As he raggedly breathed, he could sense the air was thick with magic, but none of the dread, none of the awful malice coated the air…instead…

It felt endless, as if he was adrift on a piece of driftwood on a horizon-less ocean.

Perhaps he was dead and he was being ferried into the underworld…

"Parkinson, take him" he heard, a voice he had never heard before, someone with a British accent.

The ground shook once more and felt gusts of winds smashing into his body.

"Go now, I will keep him busy" he heard, this time sounding more urgent.

He felt a hand gripping his left shoulder and he managed, just about, to creak his eyes open further.

A stern looking man looked at him, with cold blue grey eyes before a wand was pointed towards him "Can't have you make this more difficult than it already is" he said in an uncaring voice.

The last thoughts that swirled in Credence tired, strained mind was that perhaps he would see Nagini again before his world had gone back after a red flash.