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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It was quiet without Modesty there. The girl had never been particularly loud, but Aurelia had grown accustomed to hearing the slight creaks against the floorboards and the gentle humming. Even the absence of that horrid anti-witch rhyme was noticeable. Modesty had sung it repeatedly the first few days she stayed with Aurelia, and though over time she had desperately tried to forget about it, now it was stuck in her head.
'Witch number one, drown in a river. Witch number two, gotta noose to give her. Witch number three, gonna watch her burn. Witch number four, flogging take a turn.'
Over and over it played in her mind, like a whirlpool always recycling the same water. She expected to see Modesty when she returned from shopping, but she wasn't there. She set an extra plate and called out to her during dinner, but there was no answer. The girl hadn't been there for a particularly long time but Aurelia had gotten used to her regardless. The most she could hope for now was that Modesty was content with Jacob and Queenie's company.
It wasn't like she didn't get to see her every now and then. Queenie brought her to the Goldstein apartment whenever she could, in an obvious attempt to encourage Modesty to trust them... but it didn't seem to be working. Still, Aurelia was over there most days anyway. Mostly to check on Credence.
The longer she stayed the more upset the boy looked when she had to leave, but she made an effort to show him something new every time she went over.
Aurelia wasn't too shocked when she discovered that the boy had never eaten sweets. The first time she had given him a daintily wrapped lolly he had stared at her wide eyed as if she had poisoned him. At first there was simply too much flavor in it for someone more accustomed to eating gruel, his taste buds could barely grasp that there was food with so much texture. After his mouth had ceased drooling at the overdose of sugar, he started to enjoy it. Now Aurelia couldn't go to see him without bringing along some form of candy.
A sequins decorated coin purse had just been shoved into her handbag when there was a knock on the door. A sigh hissed passed her clenched teeth, expecting it to be a bunch of missionaries insisting that she 'let the light of god bless her life', or some other ridiculous lecture.
The door was pulled open with a scowl only to be met with the face of Eartha. The irritated expression quickly fell from Aurelia's face but was only replaced by one of concern when she got a good enough look at Eartha. Her eyes were sunken, skin losing colour, and there was a glistening of sweat on her forehead despite the cold weather.
"You said we could talk, right?" She said, hand pressing against the wall to keep herself steady.
Aurelia's eyebrows lowered in worry, stepping over to let Eartha through. "Y-Yeah, please come in."
The scent of pine and jasmine followed the Auror in and Aurelia couldn't help but sigh at the combination. She really was perfect. When the door was shut it was done absent-mindedly, the blonde far more focused on the woman in her apartment.
