Credence and Percival stood in the school hall for half an hour longer than they should have. The entire time, Credence was wringing his hands together. Percival had gently pulled them apart on multiple occasions, but they kept finding their way back together again, as though against Credence's wishes.
"It's time to go, Credence." Percival said gently.
"Five more minutes." Came the muttered response.
"No." Percival said gently but firmly. "They're not coming, and we need to go.
"But why would they not come?"
"I don't know." Percival replied truthfully. "Maybe they overslept. Maybe they suddenly realised they have some homework due today that they forgot about. Or maybe... They don't want to see us."
Credence shot his husband a look that was full of pain and horror. Percival winced but stood his ground.
"I'm just saying that maybe we hurt them yesterday, and so now they want to hurt us."
Credence stumbled into Percival's arms, burying his head into the taller man's shoulder. "Let's go home." He whispered at last.
- - - - -
After having buried her face in her pillow for ten minutes and wondering around her dormitory feeling considerably sorry for herself for quite a bit longer, Sophia suddenly sat up and pulled out her quill and some parchment. Although her parents had hurt her, she knew that they wouldn't have meant to. After all, she was very lucky to have been able to see them at all, seeing as most kids would have to wait until Christmas to see their family.
Some even had to wait until the summer. She shuddered at the thought.
She decided that she was going to do what she had set out to do that morning. So, after scribbling a quick explanation (in which she refused to mention anything about them leaving before they could talk), Sophia put her letter inside an envelope, dropping the folded note from her robe pocket in next to it, and sealed it shut with the wax and her Wampus crest ring.
Jasper smiled and gave her a nod as she left the common room once more, and headed to the owlery.
- - - - -
Percival took Credence to the Scamanders' house. When he started grumbling about it, Percival merely said:
"You're upset. You will want to be around your friends more than wallow in self pity alone at home. Anyway, we have a letter to deliver."
Newt greeted them at the door with a wide smile, all the while trying to convince an occamy to go back into his case. Once that was sorted, tea and biscuits were handed around the sitting room.
Credence pulled out David's letter from his waistcoat pocket and handed it over to Newt, who ripped it open almost hungrily and skimmed the paper with his eyes. It only took him a few seconds as what his son had written was little more than ten lines.
"I'll show this to Tina when she gets home." He said, voice almost shaking. "She will be so happy. We have been so worried about David."
Credence glanced nervously at Percival before speaking. "But why? He seems to be thriving with Sophia at his side. In fact, Sophia seems to think that apart from missing you, which is normal and to be expected, he has very few issues."
Newt smiled sadly. "Tina and I always knew that he would do well in school, but only if he actually ended up going." He continued as Credence and Percival only looked more confused. "After he got the letter to say that he had been accepted into Ilvermorny, all we ever did was argue. There wouldn't be a day where he didn't scream at me or his mum, telling us how he didn't want to go. How he wasn't going to go. Charles needed him, he would say. And we couldn't think of anything to say to prove him wrong, because... He was right. Charles does need him. We all need him. But he needs his education. We know that he will achieve so much in life if he gets the education he deserves. We didn't care how many bridges we burned. Until, that is, we thought we had burned the bridge between him and us. It came to the point where he told us that he would never speak to us again if we sent him to Ilvermorny."
Credence was shocked into silence for a while. But then spoke out when the shock morphed into uneasiness. "Don't you think you should've trusted in David? He must have a good reason for not wanting to go to the school. Don't you think that a child should be allowed to make their own mistakes in life?"
"No offence, Credence, but not everyone is in the same position as you. Not everyone would be allowed to study magic at a school when they are an adult. It's now or never for David. And I refuse to let him ruin his life because of a potentially rash decision he made when he was eleven. Anyway, the real reason he didn't want to go is because he didn't want to be without Charles. That's not going to be an issue once he gets to his third year."
Credence still seemed unsure.
"Think of it this way." Newt continued. "Rather than seeing it as us sending him to a school he hates for seven years, at most it will be a school he hates for two years. But judging by the letter he has just written, it's more likely a school that he has hated for half a term."
"You're right, Newt." Percival cut in, smiling supportively. He knew that the topic was upsetting both his friend and his husband, and after all they had other important matters to deal with. "Anyway, can I ask you something please?" Newt nodded as Percival pulled open one of the bags he and Credence has stuffed the day before. Inside were hundreds of slips of paper, all with anti No-Maj sentiments written on them either vaguely or quite bluntly. "These pieces were found by us around many hallways and in some classrooms at the school." Percival continued. "They must have been put there during my assembly, however, every person was accounted for in the hall. That leaves-"
"-Animals." Newt finished for him.
"Exactly. Now these pieces are enchanted so that you cannot throw them away or destroy them. We were wondering if there was any chance that that would therefore narrow down what animals could've therefore carried and distributed them."
Newt took one of the pieces and studied it carefully. "No." He concluded. "Any animal could've done this. It's not a dangerous enchantment or anything, and these are as light as can be."
Percival sighed. "I feared you would say that. So that doesn't cut down the number of people who could be responsible for it. Literally any student or teacher with a pet at the school could be behind this, and I fear there are very few people who don't have one."
"Not quite." Credence said quietly. But then more confidently, "Actually, not at all."
Percival and Newt blinked at the man questioningly.
"That charm is quite a complex one, is it not?" He asked. Percival nodded. "Then surely the students in the younger years can be written off."
Percival smiled.
- - - - - - - - - -
Okay, another chapter published!
I've finally finished writing the whole thing. In total, it's 44 chapters, which is just crazy to think about.
Anyway, vote, comment and follow me if ya want, I would most appreciate it.
YOU ARE READING
Innocence
Fanfiction'Percival carefully took Credence's hands in his. "My darling." He said softly. "Hatred is a foul creature born initially from fear. But like a fire, as it spreads it becomes all-consuming and destructive. In time, the hatred may be quenched but fro...
