Case Stories | Fantastic Beasts Oneshots

Nightmares, Part 1 (Credence)

Dark, cold, and alone.

However, the location was different, instead of his 'home', it was an empty street. The wind blew through a hollow, discarded pipe that lay motionless on the road. It produced a eerie noise, one that sent chills running down his spine.

The boy gingerly moved forward, unsure as to where he was heading. He paused as a silhouette came into view. Letting out a shaky breath, he stretched out his arm to touch it. It was cold and smooth, yet Credence couldn't help but notice the different vibe it seemed to give off from the rest of the environment. He looked up.

It was just a lamppost. Dusty on the inside, clean on the outside. There were little cracks at the edges, but they didn't make the lamppost fragile. It stood strong and still, and there was something about it that seemed to lure him in. He did not feel like leaving it, but the cloud of darkness behind him was catching up. He had to run.

He let his legs carry him forwards, and his heart hammered in his chest. The strange, creepy noise from the pipe before was steadily growing louder, and he yearned for it to stop. He tried sticking his fingers in his ears, but to no avail. The moment he took his fingers out, however, he instantly regretted it.

The voice of his Ma boomed.

"Unnatural, abnormal witchcraft!"

"But Ma," he whimpered, unable to finish his sentence. He would never dare to speak what his heart desired, even in his own world.

"If you choose to be with them, you will go down with them! All witches must be eliminated!"

The dark cloud looked over Credence menacingly. Slowly, it started to take form. He could only watch helplessly as his Ma appeared in front of him, seeming ten times bigger. Her anger poured into him through her glare, and Credence crouched down, using his hands to protect his head. He wanted her to go, this was supposed to be his world. Why was she in control? He had to do something.

The Obscurus in him was awakened.

He let it take shape and it burst out of his heart to attack.

The good thing about his Obscurus was that it allowed him some control. All he had to do was order, and his dark twin would handle everything else.

The Obscurus smashed and lashed out at his Ma, determined to take her down. All the strength it used, Credence could feel it. He felt the drain of his energy with every impact on his Ma, but the disappointment in seeing that it was doing no damage made his heart sink more.

Why wasn't it working? His Obscurus was always able to do what he needed it to, but why was his Ma not affected?

Every failed attempt drove him to demand his Obscurus to try harder. The desperation in him was channeled to his twin as the Obscurus attacks grew more ferocious. It only seemed to make his Ma stronger, bigger, darker. It overwhelmed him.

He shook violently, terrified of how his Ma could consume him any moment. The tears in his eyes were like running taps, there was no sign of them stopping. He tried to scream but nothing came out. He could only suffer in silence.

Then he saw a ball of light.

It flickered. From the loud noise and insults his Ma was throwing at him, he heard an angelic voice.

"Credence?"

A wave of hope washed over him as he, still in his Obscurus form, struggled to fly over to it.

"Credence, it's okay."

He let his Obscurus back into his heart and stood back on his two feet. The light it gave off shone brighter than before, establishing a shield of protection between him and his Ma. It felt warmer.

"You're alright, Credence, but I need you to wake up."

The fear in him vanished, replaced by confusion. Wake up? Wasn't he already awake?

"Can you do that for me?"

He guessed he could try.

Credence's eyes snapped open and it met the one pair that he hoped to see.

As much as he tried to be strong, he couldn't. He broke down in front of her.

The thing about (Y/N) was that she was the only one that cared for him (other than the woman who stood up for him against Ma) ever since those people tried to destroy him. She found him in an alleyway, tired and worn out, and she took him in without question. Later on, he learnt that she was part of the magical community, and despite the fact that the whole wizard government was trying to hunt him down, she decided to help him. It's been a month and she hasn't chased him out yet, and she never once judged him. He was in safe hands.

And he felt those hands wrap around his body.

"Hey," she said softly, "It's alright. You're alright, Credence. It wasn't real."

He sobbed hard into her shoulder, lingering in her warm touch for as long as he could. Unlike Graves who betrayed him, (Y/N) was willing to listen to whatever he said, however little it seemed. She wasn't going to use him. She guided him out of his nightmare.

"Why won't they stop?" He managed to choke out, "Why do they keep coming back?"

She let go of him. With a pitied look on her face, she said, "Whatever you've been through was hard, it won't go away that soon. But I promise, it'll get better."

They sat in silence for a couple of seconds, which gave Credence time to think. As he did, (Y/N) gently wiped his tears away, a gesture he appreciated. Suddenly, he blurted out, "Why're you being so nice to me?"

"Sorry?" She withdrew her hand, startled by the question.

"Why're you helping me?" He repeated, "I threatened the entire magical world and if they find out I'm still alive, they'll go after me, and you'll be responsible too."

(Y/N) bit her lip as she, as it seemed, thought through her answer carefully. She took Credence's hands and held them in hers.

"I suppose," she began, "it's because you're unlike anyone I've ever met."

Credence was taken aback slightly, but he allowed her to continue.

"Not that I've met a lot of people. I just...I wanted to help you. No reason and for no personal gain. Maybe it is, but it's because I need someone. Before meeting you, I lived alone for pretty much my whole life. I just wanted a friend, I guess I got a little too desperate and turned to picking people off the streets."

One second later, she regretted her choice of words and tried to take them back, but Credence didn't mind. He needed a friend too, and if she didn't find him, he would be alone as well.

"You really mean that?"

"Y-Yeah, I do," she assured him, fidgeting in her seat, "I really do. I'm really glad you came into my life, Credence."

For the first time in forever, Credence felt his mouth twitch into a smile. In return, he got back a beautiful smile too.

"Hey, your hands are cold," (Y/N) mentioned all of a sudden, "I'll get you some mittens or something, then we can get some sleep. Sound good?"

He nodded and she stood up to leave. Just as she was about to leave the room, he asked, "Can you stay?"

She stopped at the doorway and looked back at him. Quickly, he said, "Just for the night. Please?"

Without hesitation, she replied, "Sure."

A surge of warmth rushed up into his heart. Credence was glad she found him. She was his light in the dark, even if he had only just met her. And most importantly, she was his friend, and friends protect each other, right?

He has a purpose to live on now.