Thorns and Roses ❦ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ❦ Newtina

Chapter Twelve

In all senses, Credence was terrified of Grindelwald's plan. They'd arrived at a small cottage in the outskirts of Scotland, the only sight to behold the rocky mountains and patchy grass that covered the land. The cottage was concealed within the mountain, the door barely visible through the packed dirt and overgrown thistles that lined the pathway into the hideaway. Rosier had drawn her wand and opened the door carefully, wand poised in front of her. She disappeared behind the oaky fixture, before reappearing after a moment. "All clear," she'd said simply, eyeing the cracked, dust-filled window beside the door. "There's a curtain that covers this window, but I'll charm it so it's not visible from the outside. We can't have anyone trying to enter."

    Credence entered the cottage and found that it was simply a one-room hut, magically expanded, or so it seemed. He fiddled with his newfound wand, accidentally sending a spark darting across the room. "Credence!" Grindelwald scolded. "This wand is not a toy. You must act responsibly with it." The boy nodded, and continued his observation.

    The room smelled of mildew, with rocky, jagged walls and a floor of dirt, haphazardly covered with various rugs. The window beside the door was streaky and appeared to have not been washed in ages. A single cot lay in the left hand corner of the room, the mattress stained with dirt and a singular sheet and pillow laying on top of it. To the right, a makeshift kitchen appeared. There was a single fireplace that Rosier had already sparked a fire in, the only light in the room. Next to it there were counters carved out of rock and a singular cauldron. Above the fire was a singular rod, used for cooking meat and roasting vegetables. There lay two lanterns on the counter, which Rosier busied herself lighting before magically levitating them to connect to two hooks in the ceiling made out of tree roots. There lay a few damp, beat up books in a corner in front of the bed, textbooks that were ages old and torn. The room itself was humid and damp, and Credence itched all over. Grindelwald had taken it upon himself to cast duplicates of the cot, creating two more for the additional guests. He wrinkled his nose at the smell, but the trio knew this was the best they could do with the fast-paced situation. It was quite possibly the safest place they could reside.

    Rosier levitated three oversized rocks through the door, placing them around the makeshift fire. They acted as chairs, and Credence revelled in how nice it felt to sit after so long. Rosier proved herself particularly good at transfiguration, as she'd transformed the rocks into perfectly soft cushions. Grindelwald sat beside the two, watching the fire burn fiercely. He cleared his throat, looking at the two with hooded eyes. "This is not ideal, but these are the best living quarters we'll be provided with for awhile. We are just on the outskirts of Hogwarts," He spoke the name of the academy as if it disgusted him. "And an informant of ours is aware of our location. Only he knows how to get here, and he has been tasked with providing us information from within the ministry. Newt and Tina are working together, but as it seems, the auror has a weakness." Grindelwald sipped water he'd taken from the cauldron before puckering his lips in distaste. "The boy, Newt. I thought her behavior at the ballroom was because of his importance, but no... her weakness is him. She will stop at nothing to protect him, and that is a direct threat to our cause. She is powerful; her and I have dueled once before, and I don't deny her power. She is our biggest target against Newt. If we can disarm her, however that may be, Newt will be a clear target. I don't know his stance on her, but from what our informant has provided us, I am confident in the assumption that the two are equal in their protection of one another. If that is the case, we'll no longer have a fight on one person. We have a fight against two, both skilled in their studies. We will have to act diligently and intelligently. There will be no time for stunning like we did at the ballroom: that was a foolish act. We gave them time to prepare an attack against us and didn't take down Scamander. We must take down Scamander!" Grindelwald said with a boom, angrily setting down his cup. Water splashed out of it and landed on the fire, extinguishing a small section of it and sending smoke into the air. "Taking down Scamander greatly reduces the threat of Dumbledore, and then, we can take over. We can make this world-"