Queenie and the Discovery
Chapter 2
The light rain showers that riddles the area enhanced the smell of all the things that riddled the grungy ground of New York. But these smells seemed like a nostalgic perfume to the few that roamed the streets day in and day out. One of them, Credence, a boy with short black hair on top of shaved sides.
He knew and recognized every smell they encountered on their way to Tina's apartment. He recognized the strong stench of maggot infested garbage and fresh puke from a night of drinking. He held the knowledge of the grim reality that some say is magical, and because of this it is acceptable that he became what he saw everyday. A piece of garbage discarded by someone else, without a thought and without the cares of any passerbys.
However, Tina is but polished coal. She see him, an orphan without a true family as potential for a blossoming beauty. She wanted them to walk side by side, but he naturally drifted behind her, following her towards her apartment like a lost duckling looking his mother.
Tina's purplish-grey over coat billowed slightly and her short brown hair bounced as they walked. The trip itself wasn't long at all, but with each step, Tina became more fearful. Maybe Credence was rubbing his feelings off on her, or maybe she was feeling regret, but she could not deny the way her heart pounded against her chest and her fast burned in the cold air.
In her mind, she was bringing a non magical boy into a magical home where she could be tarnishing the very thing that her and the other wizards in America have been trying to protect: secrecy. For all she knew Queenie, her sister, could be using magical the second they walk in and she would have to obliviate Credence's memory of them meeting and going into their apartment.
Credence on the other hand, couldn't stop himself from looking back to make sure his mother, or anyone that knows them wasn't watching. He feared her and everyone she knew. He feared her so much that he bundled up everything inside him that made him different than her; better than her.
In reality, eating dinner at an acquaintance's house is nothing out of the ordinary, but to both of them, it had the potential to ruin everything they hoped to stay secret.
The changing colors of the trees in New York became a marvelous distract for both parties. They enjoyed watching the colors sway in the slight breeze. In both of their mind, they hoped that their worries and fears were mere leafs of a tree, ready to be whisked away and forgotten.
When he wasn't looking at the leaves and checking behind himself, Credence wondered what Tina's apartment would look like. He had only ever know houses filled with empty people and empty hearts. A bleak existence in a place meant of joy and bonding. He wondered if she had a fireplace, and what her plates looked like. It had been years since he sat next to a fire.
"We're here," Tina announced joyfully, hiding her fear behind her smile.
Credence looked up at the apartment building. It was very tall, taller than anything her had been in. He wondered if it got harder to breath the higher you go up in an apartment. In his wandering, he forgot to speak or acknowledge Tina's statement.
She smiled anyways. She couldn't let him know that she was scared.
"Well, Credence, I would like to warn my sister that I have brought a guest over. Do you mind waiting out here while I go tell her?" Tina wasn't prepared for any answer other than okay.
Credence nodded and watched as she entered through the buildings doors. He waited and waited, but it felt like no time had passed. He was used to waiting on people.
Tina ran up the stairs and hoped that when she came back down Credence would still be waiting outside. She worried that he would have gotten scared and left without a word. She worried that he would see his mother and be taken away. But with all that fear and worries, she still held onto hope in her heart that everything would be fine. That no matter what happens, everything would be okay.
Credence didn't like being outside of his comfort zone, he had never been to that side of town. She continued to look around and wait, but he couldn't help but hate the change.
When Tina entered into her apartment she was joyful to see that her sister wasn't doing anything magical, other than stirring a spoon in a cup of tea and milk. Queenie sat in a rocking chair reading a book called: No Maj and Their Fascinating Free Time. Queenie loved reading and learning about Non Magical people, it seemed to become her own past time. Tina would always joke that Queenie might as well marry a No Maj if she loved learning about them so much, but both of them knew that marrying a No Maj was impossible.
"Oh Tina, you came back early," Queenie folded up her book.
"Ah yes, uh Queenie I have a question."
"You brought a No Maj over for dinner," Queenie said while walking over to greet her sister. "Well where is he?"
Tina sighed. At least her sister's powers meant that she had to do less explaining. "He's standing outside. I just don't want you to do anything magical, at least not in front of him. He can't know that he are wizards."
Queenie was putting away her cup to tea while her sister talked, but instantly paused. "He's a new salemer. That boy you tried to save. Credence."
"Yes and-"
"Hmm, it's okay Tina. I like learning new things. What shall we eat?" Queenie walked over to the kitchen followed by Tina.
"How about a Calzone?"
"With sausage, onions, tomatoes and tomato sauce? Sounds delicious. I'll start now, but I have to warn you I may have to use magical if you want it to taste good."
"That's fine, just don't do anything around him, I can't have another reason for the council to use against me."
"Okay," Queenie responded in a sing-songy voice as she prepared the Calzone with her wand. Taking the time to prepare the food and bake it would have take at least an hour, but with the help of magic she was able to have it made in only ten minutes.
"Good, okay, I'm going to go get Credence now." Tina exited the kitchen, and rushed out the door of her shared apartment.
Credence was becoming more and more agitated and anxious from his new environment. Until the door to the apartment building opened and Tina gestured for him to follow her.
"She's really excited to meet someone new, but I do want to warn you that she's really good at," Tina paused in speech as they were walking up the stairs. "Reading people."
"What does that mean?" Credence asked quietly.
"She's really good at...picking up on facial expressions and body language. She normally knows what you want to say before you say it."
Credence paused, but Tina didn't notice because she was a few steps ahead. He didn't want Tina to figure out about his secrets. He had chained them up in his heart and threw the key away long ago. He wanted Tina to like him, and he feared that if her sister figured out his secret then his only friend would leave.
Even with the doubts and fears of meetings Queenie, Credence continued walking up the stairs to Tina's apartment. Tina opened the large door to her apartment and walked in with Credence trailing behind.
"Welcome to my appartment, I know it's a little messy at the moment. I have Queenie to blame for that, but I hope you can find yourself at home Credence. I'm going to go get-" Then she left the room to grab a table cloth.
The first thing he noticed was the warm scent of baking. It was a scent that he could barely remember. His mother would make them soup which was mainly just broth with a scarce amount of vegetables and meat. Sometimes he would go weeks on end without eating any meat, but he knew what would happen if he complained.
However, there was another thing about the ambiance of the apartment that stood out to him. It was a home. It was warm in more ways than one. He felt like he had stepped into a place that is living and has bonded with the women.
This experience was completely different from what he was used to. He was used to his house, if it could be called that, which was cold and dark. The other children would play games upon occasion, but even their laughter couldn't lift the weight of the darkness that dwelled within his mother.
Tina returned with a simple white table cloth. She set the table cloth down onto a long table near the kitchen and just close enough to the fireplace where they could still feel the heat as they ate.
Credence watched her, confused over what he should do to help, or if he should help at all. At his house if he didn't help bring out the pots of soup or plates then he would get yelled at, but this wasn't his house. This was Tina's home.
"Oh Credence, could you help me set the table?" She pulled three plates, knives, spoons, and forks out of a cupboard near the table. "And while you do that I will grab some napkins from the kitchen." She ran off through a door a bit aways from the table.
Credence walked over to the stack of plates and silverware. He touched the plates hesitantly. He could only remember one occasion when they had set the table. A few Christmases ago a lady from the government came over to observe them and Mary, his mother. Except, she wasn't his real mother and he reminded himself that every time he saw her.
He set three plates down, two next to each other and one of the other side. He grabbed the silverware and went to put a fork down, but he didn't know what side he should put it on. He couldn't remember.
"Oh, here let me show you," Tina walked in and set the one napkin down by each plate. "You put the fork on the napkin and the knife goes on the right side of the plate. And you always have the blade facing towards the plate so that the guests don't accidentally cut themselves. And then you place the spoon right next to the knife and walla, it's done." Tina leaned over a plate next to Credence.
Credence looked up at her. "T-Thank you," He muttered. He was truly thankful. If he had been at home, no one would have shown him the proper way of setting the table. His mother would yell at him if he did it wrong, but wouldn't tell him how to do it right.
"No problem," Tina smiled. "Oh and Queenie says she's almost done with the Calzone for our early dinner. She always makes them taste so good. I know you will love it."
Credence placed the rest of the silverware down around the plates. "I," Tina looked over at him. "I don't think I've ever had a Calzone."
The short blonde haired woman named Queenie walked out of the kitchen holding a baking sheet covered with a large Calzone. The Calzone was slightly browned with some tomato sauce coming out of the sides.
"You've never had a Calzone?" Queenie asked as she set the baking sheet down in the middle of the table.
Credence eyed the food and shook his head. The only time they ate anything other than soup was on Holidays and even then they only got a small piece of meat.
"Well then I guess this will be a new experience then." Queenie smiled as she pulled a steak knife out of the cupboard and brought it over to the table.
"Oh but first take your seat, don't be shy," Queenie gestured for Tina and Credence to sit down.
Tina sat down first then Credence sat next to her. Queenie was then left to sit across from them. Credence didn't want to sit next to the new person.
Queenie looked at Credence and held back the urge to tell him she wasn't that scary. Tina told her not to make it obvious that she could read minds, and she didn't want Tina to get mad at her, but she also really enjoyed telling people their thoughts.
"Calzones are like pizza's but folded over," Tina explained to Credence. She grabbed her napkin and set it on her lap.
Credence observed her and took his napkin and set it on his lap as well. But he wasn't sure why he was supposed to put the napkin on his lap.
"It's to catch the food honey." Queenie smiled. "How much do you want?"
Tina quickly glared at her sister before Credence could notice.
"Uh-" Credence looked at Tina. He didn't know how much he should take. The Calzone seemed massive and he didn't want to take more than his share.
"I think we should divide it up and give each of us one third of it," Tina suggested.
Queenie looked at Credence to see if he agreed. "Sounds good then. One third it is." Queenie sliced the Calzone up into thirds and dished it out to everyone.
Credence waited for someone else to eat first.
"Bon appetit!" Queenie smiled and placed her napkin in her lap.
Tina digged into her third of the Calzone. She took one bit and then leaned back in her chair in food ecstasy. "This is so good, thank you Queenie."
Credence took a small bite. His eyes widened and he looked up at Queenie. "This is...really good," he complimented.
"I'm glad to hear it, you know." Queenie looked at her sister. "I always found food like this to be quite magical," she said as she winked. A part of her didn't want to make her sister mad, while another part of her loved to play games.
The word magical stuck in Credence's mind. He was fighting against magic and wizards because of his mother, but he held a different stake in the situation. A stake that not even his closest friend knows about. He looked down at his lap as he escaped in his rampaging thoughts.
Queenie abruptly coughed a little and darted her eyes towards her sister.
"Is everything okay?" Tina asked worried. She thought her sister might be choking on a piece of sausage, but the reality was much more grave.
"Hmm? Oh yes quite fine actually. I just got a little of the sausage caught in my throat. Nothing to worry about." Queenie continued to take bites, but occasionally cast a dark glance over at Credence.
Tina noticed this and became skeptical of her sister. She knew that Queenie must of heard Credence think about something important, but she couldn't bring it up.
"So Credence, where do you live again?" Queenie asked. She needed to get some needed information out of him.
"Mary is my mother. I live with her," he answered without making eye contact. He went back to taking small bites of the delicious calzone. But his thoughts were creating a nasty taste in his mouth which made even the calzone taste a little bland.
"But, not your real mother right?"
"No, she's not."
"Interesting," Queenie avoided her sisters intense gaze. Queenie discovered something very important about Credence, that not even Tina knew.
"Do you believe in magic?" Queenie asked.
Tina abruptly stood up from the table. Her chair made a harsh noise as it moved back on the hardwood floor. "We need to talk. Now," Tina stated.
Credence looked up at her confused and slightly scared that he had done something wrong. Tina, even though she couldn't read his thoughts, knew what he must have been feeling and smiled at him.
"Don't worry, I just need to ask my sister a few questioned about later, continue eating." Tina wanted to sound reassuring, but she wasn't sure if it came off that way.
Queenie stood up as well and followed her sister into the kitchen. Once they were in there, Tina used a charm to make the room sound proof.
"I thought we agreed to not do anything magical or even talk about magic." Tina glared at Queenie.
"Tina, I need to tell you something about Credence. I was going to wait until later, but since you couldn't wait I'll tell you now. I don't think he's a No Maj."
Tina was taken aback. She had never even considered that as the reason why her sister was acting weird. She thought her sister was trying to play games and learn more about No Maj's.
"What?"
"He thought about it. He thought about how if his mother found out he wasn't normal then she would kill him. He thought about wanting to learn magic and how someone said they would teach him. I think he's a wizard, but maybe he's suppressing it."
"That's impossible. No one can suppress their magical powers that long. He would have become an obscura by now."
"All I know is that he thinks he can learn magic. What if…" Queenie paused as she thought. She wanted to find a way to test whether or not he had magical powers without giving away that they are witches.
"We could just continue as normal. I know it's not the best rout to go right now. But even if he is a potential wizard there is nothing I can do about it right now. He has to go home to his mother soon and we can't let her figure out what's going on."
Queenie sighed. "You're right. But, I will devise a plan and we will see if he is really magical."
"Okay," Tina responded. She lifted the charm and exited the kitchen.
Credence was sitting at the table slowly eating away at his calzone. If he continued at that rate then he wouldn't finish before he had to leave. Tina sighed. She wasn't sure what was going to happen next, or if Queenie is right, but she knew that there was a boy who was hurting, and she wanted to help.
AN: Heyyo! First I would just like to thank everyone who has favorited, followed, or reviewed this story or me so far! Yall are great! Anyways, I really don't remember much about Tina's apartment, but I'll change it once I see the movie again. Also, I don't really edit this, I just write each chapter all in one go and then post it, so if you see any mistakes then please point them out! One last thing, I do want to tell you guys that I am a college student studying english and focusing on poetry. I don't study the craft of fiction so if there are any inconsistencies/grammar errors/or overall errors that may be why. Winter break is nearing so I'll have more time to work on this story. I care a lot about this story and Credence and I have everything fleshed out until the end of the movie, so stay tuned!
One last thing! I made a spotify playlist to listen to while I write this fanfic, so in case any of you want to find it and listen to it while reading the fanfic, the playlist is called Z11-28-16 Credence. My name on Spotify is in Korean.
I hope you guys are having a nice day/afternoon/night and don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! It helps me know how well received this fanfic is.
Ps. I have a really good Calzone recipe if anyone is interested. It has sausage, tomatoes, onion, pasta sauce, red peppers, and sun dried tomatoes in it.
-Disclaimer- I do not own the Harry Potter Universe, JK Rowling does. I am simply imagining a different story inside the universe. I don't claim credit for any of the characters and I do not make any money from the making and distribution of this fanfic.
