Edinburgh - Scotland - 1927
In the back room of a less than reputable establishment a girl listened to hushed voices
"Yes it's true..."
"The boy..."
"Barebone..."
"Survived somehow..."
"New York..."
"The obscurial…"
"Paris I heard..."
.
.
.
"Credence."
18 Rue Philippe Lorand - Paris - 1927
Credence was afraid. He could tell Nagini was also, as she was clinging to his arm. The unseen woman in the room before them exchanged a few words in French with the Maledictus before Credence found his voice and took a few steps forwards, away from his friend.
"Are you Irma? Are you...? Are you Irma Dugard?"
There was no response and Credence ducked his head, unsure of what to say.
"I'm sorry. Your name is on my adoption paper. Does this make sense? You gave me to Mrs Barebone in New York?"
He walked forwards and pushed aside the curtain to find himself looking at a woman, face and hands wrinkled by age and laughter and wisdom. She only came up to his waist and Nagini could see and smell that the woman clearly had elf blood in her. The woman looked up into Credence's face and said with a sad half smile
"I am not your mother. I was only a servant."
Now the half smile turned into one of genuine joy as Credence crouched to her level and she caressed his cheek with her wizened hand.
"You were such a beautiful baby. And you are a beautiful man. I have missed you."
Unbeknownst to the half elf, the Maledictus or the Obscurial, they were all being watched from the shadows by Grimmson.
Grimmson, the Ministry man sent after Credence but who had quite a different mission in mind with a loyalty that was not to the Ministry of Magic.
"Why didn't they want me? Why is your name on my adoption paper?"
"I took you to Mrs Barebone because she was supposed to look after you."
But Credence never learnt anymore...
Because Grimmson chose that moment to attack and all hell broke loose!
Nagini was hexed into the wall, becoming trapped behind the bricks, half in snake form as Grimmson charged forwards shouting
"Avada Kedavra!"
The jet of greenlight went through the curtain and there was the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the floor. As Nagini hissed and thrashed, fighting to free herself, Grimmson marched forwards with his wand still raised. Pushing back the fabric he let a small smile of satisfaction creep onto his face at the sight of the half elf woman, Irma Dugard lying on the floor, eyes shut forever in death.
But where was Credence?
Grimmson slowly lifted his gaze to look at the ceiling.
There he was.
Or at least in one form.
Above him the obscurus was swirling, coiling, twisting and undulating, it's black form undercut with red and orange ember like tinges. Grimmson smiled nastily and waved his wand, casting a protective bubble around himself and the dead woman at his feet. The obscurus threw itself against the shield again and again, pressing in and trying to shatter the enchantment but to know avail. Finally Grimmson seemed to grow bored of this and disapperated.
Nagini finally managed to free herself from the wall and stumbled towards the partially destroyed room, unsteady on her newly recovered human legs and shaking her head to get the blackness out of her eyes as they adjusted out of their snake form. She slowed as she pushed aside the curtain, to reveal the carnage that Credence had inflicted in his obscurial form and the young man himself standing, trembling slightly and clearly supressing tears as he looked down at the dead Irma.
The woman who had been his last living connection to any chance at finding who he was.
But more importantly, the woman who had shown him more motherly kindness in two minutes than the woman who had raised him for more than twenty years in New York.
Credence felt himself tense for a moment, as Nagini slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and slid it down his forearm until she interlaced her fingers with his.
"We should go Credence" she all but whispered "The muggles will be coming soon. We shouldn't be found here."
And Credence allowed her to gently pull him away, still looking at the little old dead woman on the floor until she disappeared from view.
They were hurrying through the streets of Paris, keeping their heads down.
They had just turned another corner into another street when Credence felt Nagini stiffen, her muscles taunt and strained.
"What is it?"
"We're being followed" she murmured as they continued to walk at a brisk pace, but not so fast as to draw suspicion on themselves.
"Where?"
"30 yards behind. I cant see who it is, they're wearing a hood. What do we do Credence?"
"Follow me."
They kept walking, both fighting not to turn and give away that they knew they were being followed.
She was right behind them when suddenly Credence and the young woman he was with turned a corner and disappeared from view. She almost ran to reach the spot where they had vanished from sight, and found herself looking down a dark alley, with rubbish and a few wooden pallets leant against the wall. She hurried down the dank and dark alleyway, towards where she could see a small square courtyard area created by the back entrances to several buildings.
She came to the end of the alley and made to turn at some speed into the tiny square area.
But as she turned round past the left alley wall, something hit her hard across the top of her chest, knocking her to the floor.
She didn't have time to register the pain of the strike, before a hand was around her throat and she was lifted and slammed backwards into the rough brick wall.
"Why are you following us?! Who sent you?!"
"Credence! Creed please!"
Credence froze. He let go of the follower, who stayed where she was but slowly pulled down her hood, looking up at him with a familiar pair of warm amber eyes. She was taller, but still smaller than him and her hair was darker and longer and she was certainly not the little girl he had watched run away from the Second Salem Church in New York anymore...
But those eyes.
"Don't you remember me Creed?"
"Of course I remember you Lara."
And with that Solara threw her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist just as she had done the last time they had seen each other.
And Credence didn't hesitate for a second before returning the embrace.
Ta da!
Chapter three done! I hope this is okay, I must have rewritten their reunion five times trying to get it as right as I could.
Please let me know what you think, I want to make this story good for you guys and I love hearing your ideas and what you like!
More soon.
Geronimo xx