I am picking up on this fic again. There is so little information on what happens between the 2nd and 3rd movies, I had to write an entire separate fic to explore the possibilities before returning to this series.

Cocoa and Hugs

It was clear to Queenie Goldstein that she had few friends in the castle. Vinda, a natural occulumens, tolerated her, more so for her usefulness to Lord Grindelwald than any true goodwill. She was his legilimens, a tool to test and read his followers' minds and report back to him on any disloyalty. She was mistrusted by all. Her dreams of reuniting and marrying Jacob slipping away with each passing day. Had it been two years already? Or even three? Time seemed frozen in Nurmengard. There was so little news from outside. Her bedclothes were of the finest silks and satins, the food exquisite enough to put the finest chefs to shame. There were heady parties with music, caviar, and champagne. A golden cage - luxurious and decadent - but a prison, nevertheless.

Aurelius was in the same boat. An Obscurial, he was being groomed for some secret purpose. The dark parasite was slowly killing the young wizard. He was paler now, his eyes ringed with dark shadows. His already gaunt frame almost skeletal as he practiced his spells and charms as directed by their master. The phoenix followed Aurelius whenever he ventured out into the grounds. Grindelwald liked to keep him close at hand.

Aurelius was struggling. He was not dressed adequately for the late autumn chill. He fumbled with his wand. His fingers blue from the cold. He had proven himself a deadly duellist. When Krafft last duelled with him, he had turned into his Obscurus form to attack before Grindelwald called him off. Krafft had been rattled by the experience. Later, they had brought the Obscurial down to the dungeons to kill a wizard Queenie had exposed as a spy. This time, Aurelius was alone in the courtyard. No one else could be spared to spar with him. Or perhaps they feared him and his uncontrollable power.

"Hullo, hon. It looks like snow. Let's get in before we catch our death of cold," Queenie called out from the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

Their eyes met. She found herself looking into the young man's fey eyes. Anguish, confusion, guilt… A twisted tangle of emotions. Queenie shivered despite her woollen cape.

I don't want to kill… A plea, one last gasp for mercy.

Weak.

I want to make him proud of me… A little boy's voice, a heartfelt yearning for approval from a father who would never give it.

Queenie broke off the eye contact. Aurelius remained staring, this time into the grey, leaden sky from which soft white flakes were starting to fall…

"Cocoa?"

Dinner had been a terse affair. Grindelwald had been in a foul mood on his return from Strasbourg. Queenie knew better than to probe. She kept her eyes demurely on her plate. Abernathy reported on Aurelius' progress in his magical studies or lack of. Abernathy was crucio-ed for his pains while Aurelius earned a stern rebuke that likely hurt more than a crucio for the sensitive young man.

Everyone had retreated to their own little nooks of the castle – safe dens to hide from His Lordship. Only Vinda had stayed to wait on Grindelwald until he was done grilling Queenie on the loyalties of the newer recruits. Aurelius had lingered outside Grindelwald's study for two hours, until he was curtly dismissed. She could feel the disappointment rolling off him.

Cocoa will make things better… Queenie had always said to Tina whenever Tina stumbled in after a long day of work at MACUSA. How she wished it were true. She summoned two mugs of hot cocoa from the kitchens and topped them off with small marshmallows and a mint chocolate stick.

Aurelius murmured a thank-you as he took his mug. Queenie guided him to her own little den. The finery of the guestroom assigned to her became tiresome after a while. A small room tucked behind the stairs. Perhaps it had been meant for a servant once or some long-gone house-elf. It was a cosy place, which Queenie had furnished with cushions and throws. A small fire blazed in the fireplace. There was a battered footstool and a lopsided armchair which served for seating. A narrow pane of frosted glass looked out now into darkness.

"Do you need to talk, hon?"

You can read my mind, can't you? His eyes accused warily.

"Look, I am sick of peeping. It might be better if you will tell…"

"So you can report to him?" Aurelius cautiously sipped at his cocoa. His hands were scarred from past beatings. Scars that would re-emerge whenever the wizard was in distress given the unpredictable nature of Obscurials.

Black smoke… fury… Sick of being lied to, sick of being forgotten, sick of being forever outside… never belonging…

"Do you miss her? Your sister?"

"Yes, I do. Every single day."

"I wish I had a real family to miss, to miss me…" the wizard put down his mug. "The No-Maj?"

"His name is Jacob, and I miss him so much…"

"I miss Nagini too. I wonder if she is alright…" Aurelius wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked all the world like an awkward boy. "She's… a friend…"

The words came out of him as if in defeat. He sounded so crestfallen and broken.

"Do you need a hug?"

A brief nod of assent. Queenie leaned over to embrace him, ignoring the tears soaking into her shoulder. He felt so fragile in her arms, bones almost bird-like, as if the slightest pressure might break him. He smelled of smoke and ashes. She waited until the sobs ebbed and his breathing and heartbeat steadied.

The grand clock in the hall struck midnight before they pulled away from each other.

"It is late. We really should get to bed," Queenie remarked brightly. Aurelius nodded, a weak smile on his face.

"Thank you for the cocoa… and the hug."

Author's Notes:

Here is a pair who just realized they might have made some disastrous choices and are now trying to make the best of a bad situation. Queenie's feelings towards Credence/Aurelius are more like that of a sisterly bent. The boy needs a hug and some cocoa. He doesn't know who to trust and Grindelwald has manipulated him, so he is almost totally reliant on his mentor. Queenie is the only one who can give him the emotional support that Grindelwald is not truly capable to giving to him (possibly because Grindelwald allows it).