Credence watched, wary as he always was when someone approached, as Graves walked towards him. Only when heβd managed to convince himself somewhat that the situation was under control, and that he wouldnβt be hurt, did he speak.
Nobody had explained much about the real Percival Gravesβ part in all this. Only that his identity had been stolen. That the real Graves would never do such awful things, because he was a good man.
But Credence could guess, that whatever had happened was quite nasty. They were both just afraid really, werenβt they?
βIt- itβs called Lumos, sir. It creates light.β
As soon as heβd spoken he inwardly cringed; Graves was an accomplished wizard, why had he bothered explaining the most simple of spells, the first few pages of Chadwickβs Charms volume one?
Of course, for Credence it had been anything but simple. He didnβt fear other peopleβs magic; he watched Tina and Queenie lay the table for dinner every night with awe, and the moving pictures in the newspapers were some of the most marvellous things heβd ever seen. Yet most of the time he could barely bring himself to touch a wand or any other magical object, in fear of the darkness that so often took him over.
βIβve never cast a spell before. And it didnβt - I didnβt get it wrong.βΒ He didnβt hurt anyone. He didnβt destroy anything.
Graves stopped just short of the boy, a gentle hand patting his arm encouragingly. They were a strange pair, the two men who had suffered most at the hands of the dark wizard. Graves was still unsure whether or not the boy really did have any control over his⦠more destructive side. Credence was still terrified that anyone who got near him was going to beat him within an inch of his life. But somehow things were calm between them.
He knew exactlyΒ what Lumos did. It was not unusual for it to be the first spell a young wizard was taught, but Graves didnβt scoff or roll his eyes at Credenceβs explanation. It was good he was learning, it was good he knew what he was learning. A person with magical inclinations could wave a wand and say words and make something happen, but that didnβt necessarily mean they knew what they were doing.
Β Β βAh, yes, I know it well. More useful than you think too. Itβs a rare day goes by that I donβt use it.β
Mostly because he would wake up in the middle of the night, terrified that someone was lurking in the dark, and would light up his whole apartment before trying to get another hour or two of sleep before he had to repeat the process.
Β Β βCongratulations Credence, itβs a well-earned success. Youβll be casting left, right and centre in no time. The first spellβs always the hardest.β
One of the biggest lies heβd ever told, but Credence definitely needed his confidence lifted, and telling him heβd taken three times as long to master a spell that took most ten year olds ten minutes to learn would not be well received.
dailybridgerton
kianamaiart
discoholicmusic
amandla
pixelskylines
