Fantastic Beasts: Storm of the Thunderbird

Chapter 5

"Credence?" Tina was frozen to the spot, almost to stunned to speak. She had spent so long looking for him, only to watch him willingly join Grindelwald once again. "What...what... what are you doing here? I thought you were working with Grindelwald!" He had changed so much. He was a man now, not the scared little boy that Tina had saved from his awful foster mother, Mary Lou Barebone. He was tall and proud, with long hair that fell past his shoulders. He still looked a bit pale, but much stronger than she remembered.

"It's been so long." Credence said. "My name isn't Credence anymore. It's Aurelius. Aurelius Dumbledore." Tina reeled, taking an actual step back.

"What?" She gasped. " You're a Dumbledore?" Aurelius sighed. Tina couldn't quite read the expression on his face.

"There's a lot you don't know. After I rejoined Grindelwald, I started communicating with someone through a mirror. I didn't know who it was at first, but it turned out to be my father. His name is Aberforth, and he's Albus Dumbledore's brother." He explained, always in one tone, his eyes never leaving the floor. Tina was still trying to process that Credence...or Aurelius as he was now called, was really here in front of her after all this time.

"So you finally found a family." Tina said, feeling surprisingly emotional. Aurelius had finally found what he had been looking for, a family. She vaguely registered that the others had stepped back, giving them some space.

"I have, and you're one of the reasons why." Tina stared at him skeptically.

"How so? I haven't even seen you in years. If anything I thought you might hate me, or think I abandoned you. I didn't, you know. I really did try to find you. That's why I was there that night in Paris." She explained.

"I could never hate you. You were the first person to stand up for me, long before Gra- um, Grindelwald, ever came into my life. You introduced me to the wizarding world. After that I realized that maybe I didn't have something wrong with me, but something right. You helped me get through the hardest time of my life, and I can never thank you enough. But I'd like to try, which is why I'm here now." His words almost brought Tina to tears. Almost. She always made an active effort to not be a very emotional person.

"I talked to Albus, and he told me about the Elder Wand." Aurelius continued. Even mentioning the Elder Wand made Tina feel sick. "I want to be here to help protect and support you the same way you did for me."

"Aurelius, that's very sweet of you, but I can't put one more person in danger for my sake." Tina did wish he could stay, that she could get to know everything that had been happening since she got out of the loop, but she couldn't let him stay.

"You're not doing anything. No one asks to be targeted by him, and you certainly didn't ask for me to come here. I'm staying because I want to." Tina didn't know what to say. That's when she heard Newt's voice coming from the case.

"Tina! Come quick! The dragon egg is hatching!"