Credence has had a troubled childhood, and as a result of the abuse he suffers at the hand of his adoptive mother, he comes to crave affection from others. Any kind of affection. Aurelia knew him long ago. She was the only one to show any care for t...
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The sky above was full of tumultuous, dark clouds. Thunder rolled in from the west and threatened to spill rain over the citizens of New York. Aurelia had been outside of the Woolworth building for a while now, watching the people bustling past at maximum speed with their heads down. Mostly, it seemed like they were trying to avoid being handed the pamphlets that now even Credence was giving out.
The crowd that had gathered around Mary Lou was beginning to thin, her speech dragging on for far too long to hold anyone's interest. That wasn't to say that none of them believed her though. The situation with the No-Maj's was worsening by the day.
Mary's icy stare fell to Credence, waiting for even the slightest infraction of her strict rules but, at least for now, he was following her every instruction. When she moved off the steps she did so with an air of arrogance; posture straight and expression hard. Her adoptive children wasted no time in following her down the busy street, Credence flashing Aurelia one more anxious look before disappearing into the throng of people.
Aurelia's gaze lingered where he had once been, chest constricting painfully. Every time she saw him she was barraged by guilt - It wasn't her that was harming him, but she had to wonder if knowing about it was just as bad as bringing the belt down. The self-loathing she suffered was a clear indication that it was.
The last instance she was allowed within twenty-five feet of Mary Lou was about a month after she'd started working for the Congress. She could still play the scene so clearly in her head, it were as if she was constantly reliving it. The lingering sunlight had been obliterated by the rapidly falling night. The once bright blue sky transformed into a vast expanse of jet-black that engulfed New York. The streets were near empty besides the occasional late worker hurrying back home. Aurelia had stayed back well past her intended time to sort through a few incident reports; mainly from the reoccurring Grindelwald attacks.
Every department had been on high alert for over a year... maybe that was what contributed to the reaction she had when she spotted Mary on the opposite end of the sidewalk. Aurelia hadn't seen her in years, and in that moment, she was reminded of the tortures she had made Credence endure. Anger as hot as lava boiled deep in Aurelia's system. It churned inside of her, burning holes in any remaining restraint she had. On that day, she cursed Mary within an inch of her life. Miss Picquery had not only demoted her in rank, but threatened to fire her altogether and put her on trial if she ever went near the woman again. She had come to realize that she couldn't stop Mary from hurting Credence, but she could choose to not be the reason it happened.
The approaching click of high heels quickly pulled Aurelia from her memory. Each well placed footstep was quickly followed by another pair; someone who had obviously not learned to walk quietly and instead relied on the soles of their shoes to muffle their steps. She peered over her shoulder, eyes landing on Porpentina rushing out of the building with Newt.
"Is everything alright?" Aurelia pushed herself off from the wall and maintained a steady pace to keep up with them.
Porpentina refused to slow down, pulling Newt behind her like a rag doll. "Don't have time to explain." Her voice came out in puffs of exhaustion. "Come over tonight, I'll tell you then."
