A Brave Stand

Tom looked around and he found himself back in the cold dark hallway with stairs leading up to the rooms. Bobo twitched and rose his head out of his coat pocket. "Just stay hidden," he said. "If that monster finds you, she'll squish you,"

Bobo ducked back inside. Tom looked ahead and he saw the door which led to the cellar where he had been sentenced. But he was not going back down there. With the pitch-black walls and the creepy rats and bats, it would be a cell of horror and torture. He tiptoed quietly across the creaky floorboards to the cells. He trod up the staircase with caution looking up ahead to make sure there was no sign of his caretaker who would abuse him the moment she laid her eyes on him.

He made it to the first level and to his luck, no one was awake. He tiptoed over to his room which he shared with Credence. To his delight, the door wasn't locked. He entered the small bedroom. He saw his brother asleep on his simple bed. He smiled. But his smile dropped when he saw blood and splinters on his hands. Mary Lou had given him another awful treatment. How he hated her even more.

He looked behind and he closed the door shut again. Then he pulled a large box in front of it should Mary try to enter their room before they'd awaken. He walked over to his brother's bed and pulled the blanket further over him. "I will never ever leave you," he vowed.

He came over to his bed and reached for a box underneath. He pulled it out and opened it revealing tiny but meaningful mementoes from his birth family. Photos of himself and his parents. An empty hexagon-shaped packet which said 'chocolate frog' on the front. A glass orb with a golden rim. A small telescope-like item. And a silver chain with a triangle symbol with a line and a circle inside. He picked up the pendant and put it around his neck. He cradled it tenderly as he closed his eyes. How he missed his parents dearly. He closed the box and pulled off Newt's coat. He changed into his pyjamas and little Bobo was lifted out of the coat pocket. Tom was about to pack the coat into an old suitcase but he realised he couldn't.

The kind Newt Scamander had given it to him so he didn't feel alone. Like whenever he wore it, he could always feel Newt's warm arms engulfing him, keeping him safe. He put on his coat and once again felt like he was engulfed in the warm-hearted man's arms. He hopped into bed but didn't pull the blanket over him. He was warm enough in that simple piece of dressing. As he laid his head against the pillow, Bobo hopped off his shoulder and laid against his puffy cheeks. "Good night Bobo," he said. And he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Tom flickered his eyes and woke up slowly. He saw Bobo above his head, touching his cheeks with his soft tree fingers.

"Good morning Bobo," he said. The Bowtruckle squeaked affectionately. "Better hide before someone sees you. And I don't wanna freak my brother out,"

Bobo squeaked 'yes' and as Tom sat up, he hopped into his coat pocket. Tom turned towards his brother's bed. To his surprise, he wasn't there. The bed was tidy. "Credence?" he swung his legs over the bed and sat up. He turned to the door and saw the box and chairs in front of the door still in place. They hadn't been moved at all. Tom turned towards the window and saw it was still locked. He rushed over and unlocked it. He peered outside but all he saw was an empty alleyway down below.

He peered out desperately, trying to find his brother. But just then, he heard voices coming from the right. He glanced down and he saw his brother talking with a tall man with shaved black hair. He saw him holding out his hand and the man waving his hand over his sore hands. He narrowed his eyes but he couldn't see very clearly.

Suddenly he heard a loud banging noise from the door. Tom turned in a flash and he saw it shaking. The chairs and the boxes shuffled back from the impact.

"Wake up Credence! Wake up!" Mary's loud cruel voice shouted from outside. "Why is this bloody door shut?!"

Tom rushed to his bed and started pulling the sheets in place. He pulled off Newt's coat and stuffed it into the old suitcase. He couldn't let her take away his gift. Bobo poked his head out.

"Into the suitcase," Tom ushered.

Bobo shook his head.

"It'll just be for a while okay?"

Bobo reluctantly jumped into the suitcase and Tom regrettably pushed it under the suitcase. The door burst open and Tom still in his pyjamas stood up straight. Mary Lou stood in the doorway, her face fuming, lacking warmth.

Tom felt scared but he remained where he was, hearing Newt's kind words echoing through his mind.

Mary stepped in menacingly, almost towering over her youngest adoptive son. "Was wondering when you'd come crawling back traitor," she slapped Tom's face and he fell back.

Mary flicked her head to Credence's bed but he wasn't there. Tom stood up rubbing his red face. "Where's your brother?"

"He's downstairs preparing breakfast," Tom lied.

Mary grabbed his collar. "I will ask you again. Where is he?"

Tom looked into her fuming eyes. "He's downstairs," he repeated.

Mary puffed through her nostrils and dragged him out, throwing him to the floor outside the rooms. "You will spend a whole month in the cellar! And you will have no meals for a week!"

"Go to hell!" Tom screamed from the floor. "You're a monster!"

Mary grabbed a broom and she battered him twenty times. Next thing Tom knew he was being thrown into the dark cellar. His face slammed against a cold damp floor and he heard the door slamming and the locks clicking. He was in total darkness, rats screeching everywhere. He shuffled back to a tiny source of light. A ray of sunlight pierced through the wood planks nailed in front of the window. Tom sat up, sniffling as he hugged his knees. He cried wishing he was back inside Newt's warm arms. Without his special coat on, he could feel bitter coldness crawling over his skin, grasping him, absorbing all the courage he had shouting back up at the horrible woman.

Inside his cell, Newt feared for the lives of his creatures so wrongfully accused of killing a Muggle: Henry Shaw Jr. But that was not all that was on his mind. He thought of poor Tom probably being punished or ill-treated by the cruel Mary Lou.

He prayed for the dear boy. And the little Bowtruckle whom he allowed to keep.

"You okay Newt?" Jacob asked.

"I'm so worried about Tom," Newt confessed despondently.

"Who's Tom?" fellow witch Tina Goldstein asked.

"A kid who fell into my case today," Newt said. "He's ill-treated by that awful Salem woman,"

"I know whom you're talking about," Tina consoled. "I've been observing them and I know that kid hates that woman to the core. Did you take him back?"

"He wanted to go back. To be with his siblings. He felt like he couldn't abandon them. Just I can't ever abandon my creatures. I promise him I was gonna come and check on him, to make sure he's never treated so cruelly again. But now I'll never get the chance," Newt was heartbroken.

"I'm so sorry," Tina apologised. "I never should have taken your case here. I cared too much about proving myself to MACUSA that I never stopped to think about the consequences of my actions,"

Newt observed the guilty expression on her face. "You're a good woman Tina. And you've got a good heart,"

Tina was touched. She was about to speak again when they heard the guards walking to their cell with shackles. They were going to be trialled by Mr Percival Graves.

Bobo pushed the suitcase lid open. He crawled out and he skittered across the wooden floors. The giant beds and furniture towered over him. He walked over to the closed door and crawled underneath into the hallway. Everything was so giant to him. Suddenly he heard footsteps. Quickly he rushed over to the tall wooden stair rails and hid behind them. He saw a tall man with very short hair march up and into the left room. He peered down and he saw the awful woman with bob hair sorting out pamphlets whilst another girl with long blonde hair doing textiles.

A little girl approached the cruel woman. "Why are you punishing Tom?!"

"Your brother is a troublemaker and he has to be taught a lesson!" Mary pointed a finger into her face. "And you'd better not be causing trouble too! Or you can join him!" she marched off.

Bobo blew a raspberry at her. He knew he had to get poor Tom out of his prison but where was he being kept? He glanced around and then he spotted stairs leading downwards. He climbed down the stair rails to the bottom and hid behind some pieces of furniture. The pounding of the inhabitants' feet made him stumble but he made it to the cold stairs leading down to the cellar door, tall and black with a steel lock. He smirked.

Tom had remained in his position the entire day he had been locked inside. He was so scared. He had felt no fire or flame or spark of courage. It had been extinguished when Mary threw him into that cold cellar. He clutched his pendant protectively wishing his parents were here, that Newt was here to hold him in his arms and tell him that everything was gonna be okay, that he was safe in their arms.

The slow but audible clicks of metal made his ears twitch. He looked up and to his horror saw a ray of light entering the room, dissolving away the darkness. He braced himself fearing that Mary had come to give him another beating but he saw no one there. Just then a little Bowtruckle appeared in the light. And at that moment he felt his heart lift. It was Bobo.

Crying out tears of joy he stumbled forward and scooped the little creature into his hands. "Thank you Bobo,"

The Bowtruckle affectionately twitched and he hugged his face. He hopped onto his shoulder and Tom fled his prison, desperate to be free. He formed a plan in his head. He was going to take Credence and Modesty as far away as possible. He was going to introduce them to Newt. The kind Magizoologist would certainly take them far, far away to a place where they could be happy forever.

He had just reached the hallway when he saw Mary upstairs, back turned. He heard a snap of wood.

"Ma…" Credence's voice echoed. He was going to be punished.

"I am not your ma. Your mother was a wicked unnatural woman!"

Tom flew into a rage and he flew upstairs just as Mary was raising his brother's belt and him whilst his sister, guilt-stricken stood to the side about to step in.

"Leave him alone!" he shouted.

Mary turned in shock. "How did you get out?"

Bobo showed himself and Mary jumped. "What is that thing?" Bobo blew a raspberry at her.

"This is Bobo. And he is not a thing. He is a creature,"

"How dare you talk back to me you wicked thing," Mary snarled sinisterly.

"The only wicked thing here is you, Mary!" Tom declared. "You treat everyone different from you so cruelly! And know this! I met a wizard! And he is nothing like you said!"

Mary was flabbergasted. So were his siblings.

"He is kind and good and caring. And he is more of a human than you will ever be!"

"How dare you say that to me," Mary snarled. She was about to whip him when suddenly Tom held out his hands to block his face and a powerful force of energy exploded from his fingertips and Mary was knocked back against the wall.

He felt a heartbeat under his skin. He gasped out slowly. He turned to Credence and Modesty who looked at him with shock. He looked at his hands. He had magic. There was no other explanation for that. But it seemed dark and violent. Like it wanted to harm Mary on purpose. He was indeed a wizard. He turned back towards her as she stood up slowly, belt armed in hand. "You'll pay for that you freak!" Suddenly the belt slithered out of her hand in a flash, cutting her hand.

Tom stood back. He hadn't done that. Had he? He turned to his siblings. Credence was crouching down shimmering. Modesty was just standing there still. Tom looked back at Mary trying to pick up the belt but it slithered away. She was becoming scarred. Tom would have enjoyed seeing her so scared but he was becoming frightened too. What was happening?

Suddenly a mass of black struck Mary. She was bashed against the ceiling and she fell to the floor dead. Tom gasped. The black mass flooded the house destroying everything in its path. Tom felt himself falling down the stairs. He ducked under a small table watching the uncontrollable force of black mess up the hallway and dining room killing Chastity too, his least favourite sibling.

The next thing he knew there were pieces of wood falling over the table. Tom cradled Bobo keeping him safe. Everything turned nearly dark as rubble surrounded them.

Tom coughed as the dust cleared. He blinked his eyes as the dust stung them. He stayed where he was but he saw no mass of black anymore. It had vanished leaving behind a destroyed hallway. "Credence?" he whispered out. "Modesty?" there was no response. He couldn't hear anything. Just then he saw heard voices again. He creeped out slowly. Bobo skittered ahead. As a small creature, he could be a perfect scout in case more danger was on the rise.

Bobo signalled 'It's safe' to Tom. He crawled and he saw his brother hunched against the wall. But he wasn't alone. He was with a man, the same man from the alleyway. They were talking. The man was trying to get Credence to talk but he was crying. The man slapped on Credence to focus and then in an instant, they disappeared in front of Tom's eyes. He gasped. They had vanished. Like magic. That man was a wizard. How long had Credence been consorting with him? And why didn't he tell him?

Realising he was indeed alone now, Tom stood up and walked about the decimated place which was no longer home. He saw Chastity's dead body. Then Mary's upstairs. He was glad she was gone. But he couldn't express it. He had to get out of here. And find his brother. He rushed into his room and pulled out his box and suitcase. He packed some clothes and dressed himself up too. He shrouded himself in Newt's coat and tied it up before hugging himself tightly, feeling its warmth cradling his body.

Bobo hopped onto his shoulder. Tom turned to him. "I don't know what I would do without you buddy. Come on. We've got to find Newt. He can help us find Credence,"

Another chapter is done. I have an announcement to make. For the How to Unite Two Worlds and Encanto 2 stories, I will update them once a week and focus primarily on this story and Maze runner until they're done. I will still work also on the Discovery of Witch stories. I hope you all enjoying this. Please send reviews and let me know what you all think.