hollow // credence barebone

23. lestrange mausoleum

———

"i've been waiting so long for this moment," the man spoke, pressing the tip of his wand into his forehead. "i've been dreaming for the day to come and searching for you everywhere. and then you come to me yourself! may gods above recognise my luck."

credence breathed out, "who the hell are you?"

"me?" the man's dark eyes glowered. "you dare ask who i am?"

credence heard nagini shuffle behind him, but the man noticed it too, for without looking away from credence's face he spoke sharply, "don't make a move, girl, or i will shoot a hole through his skull. well, i will do it anyway but... i still want to hear him beg."

"beg for what?" credence spoke. "my life?"

"of course your life."

"take it," he whispered calmly. "but i honestly wouldn't advise to miss that shot."

the sound of footsteps vibrated through the dark mausoleum. the dark-skinned man twitched, but he held both credence's gaze and the wand in his hand when a young, beautiful woman dressed in a long velvet dress apperead behind him. she was panting, and her eyes shot up wild when she took into the scene before her.

"yusuf!"

the dark-skinned man couldn't help but turn his head, "leta?"

"yusuf, what are you doing?"

"what does it look like i'm doing, leta? i'm taking my goddamn revenge. for my mother and for my family's name!"

"by pointing a wand at a stranger?"

"he is no stranger and don't pretend you don't know! this man is--"

before nagini and credence could as much as exchange confused looks, there came another sound of footsteps. the newcomer stumbled on his own legs as he arrived at the scene, and credence's eyebrows instinctively furrowed. it didn't take newt scamander very long before he regained his balance. his eyes landed on credence as soon as another familiar face came running behind him. tina goldstein gasped when she saw him, but newt reacted faster. with his eyes flicking back from credence to yusuf, he panted out.

"yusuf, lower the wand immediately."

"mr. scamander, it is not even close to any of your business."

"right, well it kind of is."

"i don't mind spectators to my act of revenge, but all of you are being very disturbing."

"put that wand down," newt repeated. "unless you want to see this place blowed up."

credence watched yusuf turn back to him and he couldn't help a shrug, "there is that possibility, yes."

"worry not," yusuf barked. "i'll have you killed before you can call your obscurus for help."

"yusuf kama," the woman called leta spoke loudly. "for the last time, put the wand down."

"i will not!" he screamed. "i've waited too long! corvus lestrange has escaped me for over two decades and i will not wait a day longer!"

who?

by the look on newt's face, credence wasn't the only one confused.

and just as he thought that nobody else could possibly arrive at the scene, another woman came running into the view. she was panting and her hair was in complete disaster as she bent in half trying to catch a breath. but as soon as elise acknowledged the ongoing situation, she reacted directly. her wand pointed directly at the back of yusuf's head as she growled,