Unsteady || Credence Barebone x Reader

Chapter 1

"She's one of the few people we can trust at this point."

"But why her? She's barely older than he is!"

"Well if you have any other ideas, fire away!"

The shaking boy looked up at the two figures in front of him. They just stared at each other, which confused the boy, but he would rather them say nothing than fight over what to do with him. "Fine. Call her down here, and get her here quick." One of them finally spoke. The other of the two nodded and waved their wand, quickly vanishing with a loud snapping sound that caused the boy to jump. As soon as the other person was gone, the one left approached the boy, who scrambled back against the wall in response. "I'm not going to hurt you. We're getting someone who can care for you, don't worry." The British accent that graced the woman's voice soothed him slightly, but that relaxation was only temporary.

The wizard that had disappeared only minutes earlier arrived again, this time accompanied by a young woman with short silver hair. The girl approached the boy, kneeling down in front of him. "Credence... That is your name, correct?" The girl's voice was soft as she spoke, earning a nod from the boy. A small smile graced the girl's burgundy lips. "Credence, my name is (Y/N). I'm not going to hurt you." The boy didn't answer. "You know that's not true. I'm nothing like that horrid woman." She explained quickly, her brows furrowing slightly. That comment made Credence whip his head up to look at her. "I'm sorry!" (Y/N) said quickly. "I forgot that you weren't quite familiar with magic. I'm a Legilimens. I know what you're thinking. I'm sorry, it makes it easier for me to help you. I didn't mean to frighten you." Silence fell upon the group.

"(Y/N), we don't have all day." One of the witches said. (Y/N) never looked away from the boy curled up into a small ball in the corner. "Of course, I can." She whispered to Credence before turning to the other two. "Can you two please leave for a short while? I've got things under control here." The two left the room and (Y/N) crossed her legs as she sat in front of Credence. "Credence, can you speak to me please? I won't read your mind anymore, so you don't have to worry about me knowing things you don't want me to." The girl's voice made Credence want to trust her. He was hesitant but figured this girl was his best shot for any kind of help. He was desperate for any kind of affection or care. "Help me... Please..." He managed to say, his voice shaky as he spoke. The silver-haired girl let out a soft sigh.

(Y/N) could see how he longed for any kind of closeness and it broke her heart to see. She had seen others like this, but certainly none as bad as what she was currently witnessing. "I'm going to hug you, okay? And you're just going to let everything out. I'm here to help you. I promise." She whispered. With that said, the girl moved onto her knees and inched closer to the boy, wrapping his arms tightly around him. He quickly pulled away. "Okay, alright. I'm sorry." (Y/N) said softly. She slowly stood up and held a hand out to Credence. "Come with me, Credence. I'll keep you safe. I promise." The boy slowly reached out and took (Y/N)'s hand. With a small smile and the snap of her finger, the two were whisked away to another location. Credence stumbled slightly upon landing, only to be supported by (Y/N) in response. "I'm sorry." He said quickly, standing up straight, his head still hanging. The woman sighed softly and lifted his chin so he would look at her. "You don't have to apologize, Credence. Now, keep your chin up. Maybe even smile? You're in good hands now." (Y/N) said happily before taking his hand again and heading through the door behind her. "Don't be alarmed but I've casted an Extension Charm on this house, so it's going to be a lot bigger than it looks."

Credence continued to look at the floor as they walked, bumping into (Y/N) when she stopped walking. "Children! I'm back!" The girl hollered and took a step away from Credence. The boy glanced around the foyer, getting a clear view of the floors above the main floor and some of the rooms, a look of awe on his face. Almost immediately after (Y/N) had called for them, a group of children came running out of rooms and downstairs to meet her in the foyer. "Alright! Who's taking care of dinner tonight? Ah! Alice! You better be putting the new spells I taught you to use. You'll need the extra hands with how many mouths we're feeding." Credence stayed by the door, watching (Y/N) talk with all the children. Most of the children appeared to be under 10 years old, which was somewhat unsettling to Credence. In the well lit house, Credence could see (Y/N) far better than the dark, destroyed room where they had met. Her silver hair turned into an emerald green toward the bottom to match the striking color of her eyes. The smile that she wore had the ability to light up a room.

The children started running off to do their daily chores and help with dinner. "Miss. (Y/N), who is he? He's so big," a young girl asked, tugging on the bottom of (Y/N)'s black princess coat as she looked over at Credence. (Y/N) laughed softly and kneeled down to be eye level with the girl. "His name is Credence. He'll be staying with us for as long as he needs to," (Y/N) explained softly. "Is he your.. boyfriend! Alice was telling me that when girls get older they fall in love with boys and they become girlfriend and boyfriend and you're older than us," the girl continued. (Y/N) smiled widely and laughed again. "No, no. He's not my boyfriend. We only just met! He's just a friend, Elise. Now, go help Thomas with the dishes please," the woman said softly, ruffling the girl's hair.

(Y/N) watched the girl run off before turning to look at Credence. "Elise is a sweetheart. She's the youngest child here," she explained softly, almost apologetically. "Follow me. I'll bring you to your room." The boy stuck out his hand, almost instinctively at this point, and (Y/N) grabbed it, leading him up the staircase. "Your room will be on the third floor. I hope you don't mind. I thought you would like a larger room than what I give the other children and those rooms are on the third floor." Credence listened to the woman talk; She seemed to go on and on without a care in the world. A small smile made its way onto the boy's face, something the boy had rarely done before. (Y/N) led him down the hall to a room toward the end. She pulled a wand out of her jacket pocket and with a wave of it, unlocked the door. The door swung open and (Y/N) led Credence in, turning to face him.

He watched as (Y/N) said some things at he couldn't understand and waved her wand around. "The closet should have clothes in it. There's more sheets in the closet as well. You have basic necessities in the drawers. If you need anything, I'll either be downstairs or in my room, which is on the other side of the hall, if you need anything." She smiled proudly and looked up at Credence. "Thank you," he said quietly. "You're so very welcome, Credence." (Y/N) went to walk out of the room and looked back to see the boy, slouched over with his head still down. She sighed and walked over to Credence again, hugging him gently. "Oh, c'mon, hun." She pulled away and cupped his face in her hands. "Smile! A little happiness never killed anyone." Credence didn't do anything, making (Y/N) let out a defeated sigh. "You're hungry, aren't you? Let's get you something to eat." (Y/N) took Credence's hand and led him down the the dining room where all the children were gathering.