Credence Barebone had a life before the New Salem Church. It was a life where he was one of the orphans that was fed one meal a day by good-doing church-owners. It was a life where back alleys were for sleeping, not clandestine meetings with older men. But it was a life that involved an older man, sometimes, rarely, that would let him have a bed. That man was where Credence got his first name, much to Mary-Lou Barebone's delight.
(Mary-Lou despised naming children, and it was only when one of her new adoptees came in with a name given to her by Jews that Mary-Lou gave into naming her children after virtues. No self-respecting Christian on hers was going to be named by devil-worshiper, whether they be a witch or Jew or any other sort of filth.)
Credence had a life after the New Salem Church too. That surprised even him, but when his mother laid dead at his feet and his savior believed his sister held magic within her, he had no choice but to follow. He only stopped following when Graves lost faith in him.
(There was some irony, in that the man who made Credence destroy New York went by the name Graves. There were so many graves because of him, after all. The No-Majs would think it was a hurricane that killed them, but Credence knows the truth.)
Credence didn't like thinking of his life before New Salem. Sure, he dealt with beatings and cold street where he handed out flyers until his bones ached, but that sort of pain was constant, it was a devil he knew. His life before wasn't always pain, and that hurt worse. But he was in smoke and Mr. Graves was suddenly turned into someone else, someone Credence knew from deep in the past, and Credence would have no more of that form of pain. He took refuge in the freckled man's suitcase before the government could kill him. He left enough residual magic behind that the government would think they'd kill him, and the freckled man would think they'd kill him, but he wasn't dead.
Credence must have blacked out at some point, because he woke to the freckled man shaking him, and Tina was standing behind the freckled man, with some blonde Credence didn't recognize. Credence was human again, somehow, and the freckled man held his hand out. "My name's Newt," he said. Credence shook the hand he was offered, and attempted to stand, but the ground was moving.
"I'm- uh- Credence. Are we on a boat?" Credence didn't look Newt in the eye, which Newt was grateful for. There was a bruise blossoming under Credence's eye that Newt was in no state to study, let alone heal. He was shocked the boy had made it.
"Very astute. Yes, we are on a boat headed towards France, where I intended to study the, uh, the dementors found in the outskirts of Paris. I would have dropped you off back in America, but I still thought you were dead. Queenie over here, however, heard your thoughts and dragged her and her sister in here before I could notice."
Queenie waved, but Credence was too struck by what he had heard. "You can- you can read thoughts? Like Graves?" Credence didn't think he could hide what he now knew from someone else who could read minds.
"Nonono, sweetie, nothing like him. I would never- I can choose not to listen, I'm not going to use your thoughts against you, Credence."
"Okay." Credence said, and fell back asleep. He wouldn't waken until the boat stopped.
Tina was distressed. "Graves couldn't do Legilmency, that's why you had to go on that mission with me to stop the Doxie smugglers in Massachusetts."
Newt interjected, as Queenie was still thinking over what she'd seen in Credence's head. "It wasn't the real Graves, Tina. Credence only knew Grindelwald as Graves, not the Graves you know."
"Oh. Ohh. Is-Queenie is Credence okay?"
"Grindelwald liked to use Credence's subconscious thoughts against him. It's not- I'm not capable of that level of Legilmency. I'm untrained, but clearly Grindelwald isn't. This is something we can use. I should write to the MACUSA. Madam President should know this information."
And with that, she went out of the suitcase, above ship. Newt had only tickets for the poop-deck, and he hoped Queenie wouldn't mind.
The boat ride to France took seven days. After the group took to land, Credence woke up, jostled by the movement of the suitcase. Tina and Queenie were inside the suitcase too, as Newt had only brought his own passport, not knowing the other three would be along for the ride.
The journeying to find the dementors was relatively uneventful. Credence was shocked by how different France looked from New York, but Tina and Queenie had both left America before to visit relatives in Europe, and the muddy walking dampened all but Newt's spirits. It was around six hours in that the group found a cave.
"Here! This must be where the dementors live! Dementors prefer dimly lit areas, as they feed on bats when human souls aren't around. I- I think it would be best if we all go in, because it's harder to fight them one-on-one."
"Wait a minute," Tina interjected. "These creatures eat human souls? As in we'll be walking shells of our former selves if we don't get out untouched?"
Credence took her words in, and then ran into the cave, shouting back "I don't have a soul, they can't eat me!"
Newt groaned. "Why? Why would we bring a psychologically damaged kid along?"
Tina walked in after him, leaving Newt and Queenie to follow. "I am not letting that boy get taken by dementors." She affirmed to herself. "Also, he's 18. Not a kid."
Unfortunately, the cave did not have dementors. Instead, Credence had found a unicorn foal, who was frightened by the sudden invasion of its home. Credence attempted to get Newt's attention, to see if the foal could make it into the case, but suddenly the foal lifted its leg. All four of the adventurers were soaked in unicorn urine, and rapid changes began occurring, although no one could see anything until they walked out of the cave into the light.
Tina looked about ten years younger, around the age of twenty one. Queenie was the same age she was as she walked into the cave. Newt, however, was a thirteen year old.And Credence was still hiding in the cave, not wanting anyone to see him.
"Newt, what-?" Tina asked.
"Unicorn urine has the unique property of transfiguring people back into the age they were when they- er- unicorns are into purity, and while it is an outdated concept that mating makes one impure, unicorn biology does not adhere to human societal constructs."
"No," Tina clarified, "I meant- why so young?"
"It wasn't exactly- er- Queenie, can you do your thing? I don't-" Newt blushed, his heart pounding in fear of seeming disturbing to his new friends."Talking about it- hard."
"Sure thing, sweetcheeks. You were at Hogwarts, in the Hufflepuff common room, when Thesus walked in-Thesus is Newt's brother," Queenie clarified to Tina, who had known that already. "Anyway, he said Leta had given him the passcode and that he wanted to talk with you in a private place. You followed him into an empty corridor, not knowing that was where students at Hogwarts used to -copulate, really, Newt?- er, anyway, you, uh, it wasn't talking, he-" Queenie stopped narrating and enveloped Newt in a hug. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry." she told him.
"It's-er- it's fine. It's not like he- he was never ostracized for his desires, but he would have been, and at fourteen, he must have known- I wasn't well-liked, nobody would have believed- he's my brother, I loved him, I didn't-" Newt was crying, and Tina and Queenie were both holding him, and Credence was watching, wishing he was the one being comforted but knowing he didn't deserve it, not like Newt. It was then Queenie heard his thoughts coming from the cave.
"Credence," she said. "Credence, you deserve our friendship too, even if you didn't lose your virginity to a sibling, hell, even if you didn't lose it at all-" It was then Credence walked out of the cave. He looked around six years old.
Newt and Tina got up. "Oh my god," Tina said, and then again. "Oh my god, Credence, who did this? I assure you, they will meet an untimely end."
Credence takes a deep breath. "He already will, if the government is working properly. "
"what- what do you mean?" Newt asks, before Queenie answers.
"Grindelwald. Not Grindelwald as Graves- wait also Gindelwald as Graves? Oh my poor sweet boys." Queenie says, enveloping both Credence and Newt in hugs. "Your tormentors are both insufferable toerags with more supporters than either one deserves, and yes, Newt, Thesus does not deserve the praise he gets. Not after what he did to you."
"He'll die." Tina swears, joining in on the hug. " Grindelwald will die if I have kill him with my own bare hands."
Credence can barely talk, but he whimpers out a thank you. Then Newt stands up.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I rather dislike the smell of unicorn pee. If we start walking now, we can get to my flat before midnight." All three groan, and a decision is made to wash up in Newt's suitcase before the walk back.