Summer of 1985
Severus found the boy on accident.
It was after another Death Eater meeting, revel, Bella had gone to entertain the Dark Lord and Rodolphus with the prisoners in the dungeons. He was doing what he did best, snooping, disconnecting from his brothers to see what he could find for his other...master.
Lestrange Manor wasn't exactly warm and welcoming, it was dark and sad and full of monsters that went bump in the night. Monsters that Severus wanted to help get rid of ever since...her.
"Food come here."
Severus stilled. He was walking quietly on the third floor that was forbidden to everyone that wasn't family. Severus thought it good luck that old Lestrange claimed him as a son when his mother died. If it wasn't for his position in the war Severus would've blasted his head off.
"Food come here!" A child. Now that's odd. Bellatrix was every sense of the word barren, so the question stands, who child was this? And how do I get it out of here. Severus knew if he didn't do something soon that child would be as good as dead in the Lestrange's care.
Severus crept towards the door, pushing it in slightly to see a young boy, no older than five, staring up at an overly polished desk at a tray of cookies tittering dangerously on the edge.
"Food!" The boy whined stamping his little foot in frustration. He even went as far as kicking the leg of the desk and turning around to sulk.
The boy was...amusing. He was a pale wisp of a boy with thin cheeks. long disheveled black hair and dirty clothes. The sight of the boy's torn clothes made Severus want to go down and hurt the Lestranges, no child should be so ill kempt especially that of pureblood lineage.
After a moment, the porcelain dish began to rattle making Severus quirk a thin eyebrow at the small display of magic. He could sense it, the unsteady pulse of accidental magic in response to not getting the cookie.
"Ahem."
The hovering plate fell to the desk with a heavy clunk. The young boy turned around with fear in his eyes. His head young low on his shoulders in shame. He wasn't supposed to be there, and he knew it.
"What's your name young sir?" Severus regarded him with soft eyes 'for the young child reminded him of himself when he used to live with his own parents. Young, starving and neglected.
"C-Credence." The boy, Credence, didn't bother to look up as he wrung his small hands together expecting his punishment.
"Are you supposed to be here Credence?" Severus didn't move from his spot, but his eyes gave a subtle sweep of the large study. He must've just left.
"N-no sir." Credence stuttered.
Interesting. It didn't take long for Severus to see that the young boy was not trained for pureblood society. The lack of manners and the ill-fitting clothes was a result of that. They were hiding the boy but why?
"Where's your mother?" Who is your mother?
The question was met with wide eyes and silence. Severus could see Credence try to come up with an answer, try to save himself from getting in trouble.
It was subtle, just a small brush of his mind and Severus could find all the answers. Only he wasn't met with memories but with the subtle twinge of darkness that he's seen before. What are they doing to you?
"Severus?"
The harsh whisper sounded from down the hall, he's been gone too long, and somebody had noticed. He had to act quick both to save this child and his own hide. Thinking fast he kneeled in front of the shaking boy.
"I am a friend Credence." He took out his wand and tried to ignore the startled jump the boy made.
"If ever you need my assistance call my house elf, Mipsy."
At her name, the young elf appeared with a small crack and a squeal of the words a baby and immediately attacked the boy with coo's and cheek pinches.
"Mipsy?" Credence asked between squished cheeks.
"Mipsy." Severus warned, and the house elf stopped to glare at her master. "Will feed you."
"Really?" Credence eyes twinkled at the prospect of food.
"Severus." The door opened, and Lucius Malfoy pokes his very pale and very blonde head through the small crack.
"Honestly, Severus." He hissed. Lucius lack of subtlety was astounding. How he even managed to survive this long under the Dark Lord's nose was astounding.
"Really." Severus ignored the grown man and instead focused his attention on the happy boy before him. "All you have to do is say her name and she'll appear."
Mipsy curtsied at the young lad with a mile-long list of promises rushing past her lips. It was a risky move but seeing the young boy beg for food was heart wrenching. How many nights did he go to sleep starving because there was nothing to eat or because his father didn't remember to feed him. How many nights?
"Now run along, you don't want those awful cookies anyway, they'll rot your teeth." Severus found it best not to mention that he had those cookies poisoned for father Lestrange. It was a sure way of offing the Dark Lord's number one servant without tracing it back to himself or the order.
"Thank you, sir." Credence gave him a watery smile before rushing out of the room and down the dimly lit hall.
Severus was quick with his wand slashing smoothly through the air. The memory charm was slight, it didn't harm or detour the boy, but it made sure the boy wouldn't remember him or Lucius without being in front of them.
"Did you find everything you need?" Lucius was never one to miss an opportunity to sass and a lift of Severus's eyebrow was a reaction to it.
"And more."
Severus had gathered enough intel for the Order and for his next solo mission, get Credence out of the Lestrange's Care.
"The death of Bellatrix Lestrange is indeed a tragedy, but we are confident that it was not a witch or wizard but a wild creature attack, zoologists will be investigating- "
The radio shut off with a small click.
The rushing in her ears, the brightness of the fire, and the smell of smoke had Hermione thrashing awake coughing to expel the heaviness in her lungs as she tried to fight to survive.
"Merlin- "She gasped. Her arms swung violently meeting nothing but air.
"It's...okay. We're not at Grimmauld anymore."
Hermione almost gave herself whiplash as she turned to look at Credence. He was brooding. Sitting on the little reading nook, sullenly looking down and out of the rain stained window towards the grounds.
"Where are we?" The question ended with a smack of her lips. Merlin I'm thirsty. As if someone read her mind a small glass of water appeared on the table clumsily rocking side to side before settling.
Hermione looked at it warily before turning her gaze towards the room.
The small dark burgundy room seemed unused, ancient even. If she squinted she could see a thick layer of dust coating all the plush Victorian looking furniture and a spider spinning a web across the mirror. The floating candelabras reminded her of a scene from a Muggle book, Phantom, at this point she wouldn't have been surprised to see him behind the mirror.
"My father's home." Credence waved her hand to the small glass showing it safe to drink. "...Prince Tower." His eyes betrayed the stoic expression on his face.
"It's fine, Mipsy, our house elf brought it." He looked away from her to look back out the window, not caring if she'd drink it or not.
Against her better judgement Hermione lifted the sweating glass to her chapped lips and sipped greedily, the water practically dripping from the sides of her mouth. When she was finished she placed the cup on the table and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"So, you're..." She walked on unsteady feet over to the window seat sitting cautiously across from the boy she knew nothing about.
"Yes." Credence answered softly.
"How?" Subtly was not Hermione's forte when she wanted to know something, and she desperately wanted to know more about Credence.
Credence startled. His eyes betrayed the monotone that bled through his voice and Hermione noticed it was such a Severus Snape thing to do.
"I grew up in the Lestrange home. T-that's cause for anyone to…"
Hermione cleared her throat delicately and set her gaze upon the room once more. In the corner was a door she didn't notice before, it was ordinary, but it shimmered lightly. Notice-me-not charm? Or was it something much more sinister? She jumped up to go inspect it, wand at the ready, to figure out a way to open their only way out.
"We can't leave." Credence was watching her movements with interest. "Father charmed the library in case...in case one of v-vol-, one of the death eaters tried to enter without his permission."
In the distance was a howl so unique, so familiar, that it made Hermione's heart leap in her throat. If she crossed a werewolf it'd be too soon. The encounter with Professor Lupin gave her nightmares for weeks.
"Don't be alarmed, it's just the pack." Credence rushed noticing how Hermione pressed her back against the door.
"They're harmless." To prove his point, he waved her over with strong hand and pointed out the window. Hermione crossed the room slowly and peered over Credence's bony shoulder.
"The pack?" Hermione's eyebrows went sky high. About four full grown werewolves ran free on the grounds with their pups running behind them, trying to catch it up. It was sort of cute from a distance.
"The manor grounds are currently a safe haven for those that are currently hiding from Voldemort or worse Greyback." Credence pointed a skinny finger against the window and Hermione walked over to glance over his shoulder.
"They've had their wolfsbane." He promised. Who knew Severus Snape, bat of the dungeons, had a heart. They stayed like that for a few minutes, watching the small family run around and play with each other in silence, it was pleasant.
"I never meant to hurt you." Credence didn't bother to look at her, he kept his head down and straight, but she knew he was talking to her.
"I know." She laid a confident hand on his shoulder, letting him know she wasn't afraid of him, before she went back to one of the walls teeming with books.
Hermione put her curly hair into a bun and set to work, there must be a way out of here.