Chapter 2

The next morning, the ground was covered in snow. As Credence didn't want to risk freezing, he decided to stay inside and explore the castle some. He had a quick breakfast in the kitchen before heading off to the north wing. The rest of the morning passed uneventfully. He found a tower in the south wing, near his room, that had a lovely view of the mountains and spent a few hours there. After lunch he walked downstairs to explore some more—when he heard screaming. He raced down towards the source of the noise, but the doors were locked. He heard someone speaking inside, but couldn't make out the words—and then footsteps sounded near the door. He took off, sprinting until he made it to his room.

Grindelwald is a villain, he reminded himself. Villains aren't good people. He considered running away, until he realized that if he did so, he would be leaving whoever was inside the dungeon. Maybe he could sneak down later to see who it was?

—

At six-thirty the morning after, Credence woke up and pulled on a coat to sneak downstairs. He grabbed the master key silently from its hook in the kitchen and a candle from his room and crept down to the room he had found yesterday morning and turned the lock. The clock struck the half hour as he slipped into the dank dungeon, holding the candle aloft. Straining his eyes, he made out a small figure wrapped in a blanket curled in a corner. He carefully tiptoed over to the figure and set the candle down on the floor. The person stirred, then woke, flinching.

"Please… no." They—She—Nagini?

"Nagini?" Credence half-whispered. Her eyes widened.

"C-Credence?" Credence knelt beside her. A drop of blood trailed down her face, and Credence gasped.

"What did he do to you? What did he want?" He was suddenly angry; he felt the obscurus trying to escape and wreak havoc on Grindelwald and his fancy little palace. Nagini noticed, placing her hand on his arm.

"Shh. It's alright, Credence. Calm down. You can't do anything right now." Even in her current state, she was able to settle his frazzled nerves. He sat down, suddenly exhausted, and Nagini laid her head on his shoulder. They sat quietly for a few minutes—until Credence realized she was shivering. Credence felt her forehead, his hand coming away sticky with blood.

"You're feverish," he whispered, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach. Nagini sighed.

"I'm alright."

"No you're not. You need a doctor." The clock in the outer hall chimed seven.

"Credence, you have to go. He'll be here soon." Her voice was firm.

"Nagini, I can't leave you here."

"He'll kill you."

"No. I'm staying."

"Credence, you can't. Please?" Credence sighed.

"But—"

"Hey, it's going to be okay. I'll be alright, I promise. Now go, before he comes back."

"I—" He sighed. "Okay. I'll be back as soon as I can." He kissed Nagini's forehead, then slipped out, locking the door as she curled back up in the raggedy blanket. Sprinting up the stairs, he made it back into his room as Grindelwald strode down the hall and to the dungeon. He felt sick.

Why? he thought. What did I do? She could die—and it would be my fault. He pulled the covers over his head and cried himself back to sleep.

—

Once he was sure Grindelwald was back in his study, he snuck down with a thermos of soup to the kitchen—and found the key gone. A chill spread down his spine. He knows. Suddenly, he realized what he had to do. He raced toward Queenie's room. When he knocked, she opened the door almost immediately. Queenie was curled on a chair near the fire, reading.

"Hey—Hey Queenie?" He slowly walked towards her.

"Oh, hey honey. What do you need?"

"Could we go to the village tomorrow? I wanted to get some new notebooks." The woman's face brightened.

"Sure! I'd love to go! I'll just ask Grindelwald and we can go bright and early tomorrow. Sound good?" Credence nodded, relieved.

"I'll tell you what he says, 'kay?" She was suddenly excited.

"Thank you."

—

He went to the library on the second floor after the conversation to find a book on how one could send a wizard letter. As it turned out, you just had to pay for a post owl and they would deliver your letter, which was quite helpful. Credence hurriedly wrote a letter to Newt.

Dear Mr. Scamander:

Firstly, I am very sorry for joining Grindelwald. I regretted my decision the moment I arrived. I completely understand if you just ignore this letter—it's what I deserve. However, a few days ago Grindelwald kidnapped Nagini and he's torturing her. I don't know why. Please, if you care about her, get her out of the castle. You can leave me for all I care, but please help her. She doesn't deserve this.

If you mean to act on this letter, please come soon as quickly as possible. I don't want to be rude, but this is important.

Thank you,

Credence

—

The next day, they went to the wizarding village. As soon as he was able, Credence snuck away to the post office to mail the letter. He sent it with the fastest owl possible, which was actually much easier to do than he expected. Now all he had to do was wait.

—

A/N: there shall be a happy ending! Promise!

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