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Tina had a plan. It was a stupid plan, one that would most certaonly end with having to wipe someone’s mind, but this time she felt it was worth the risk. With a quick whisper to Credence to stay there Tina slipped into her apartment, closing the door quickly behind her. Queenie was at the table, hand embroidering something. Normally everything she did was with magic, but apparently embroidering was calming. Tina forced her mind to focus on the help Credence needed, not the fact he was a No-Maj.
“Oh,” Queenie said, “Well I’d love to cook for an extra person! After all, that’s what Shabbat is about!”
Ingredients flew around the kitchen as they cooked themselves into dinner. Chicken soup with the spices they splurged on heated itself in the pot while rugalach rolled themselves up. Tina felt bad about what she had to say next, but it was necessary to make sure Credence could keep his memory.
“Credence, he’s a squib. He’s a little bit sensitive about it though.”
Queenie smiled gently, “Don’t worry, I won’t let him see.”
It felt horrible lying, but Tina comforted herself with the fact a squib and a No-Maj were essentially the same thing, one just had knowledge of magic. With a quick glance to make sure Queenie had actually stopped flying various objects across the house Tina opened the door, inviting Credence in. The poor boy looked extremely uncomfortable in the new surroundings, and at the fact Queenie was humming in the kitchen. Tina felt bad closing the door behind him, but she didn’t want her landlord to hear him.
“Welcome,” Queenie smiled airily, “You don’t have any allergies, do you?”
Credence shook his head.
“Good, that means we can start Shabbat as soon as you’re ready.”
“Shabbat?” Credence asked.
He seemed intrigued, and Tina took it as a good sign that he inched closer to the table and Queenie, who explained Shabbat far better than Tina could ever. Tina did take the time to get their good candlesticks out of the cabinet and place candles in them. They would have to use matchsticks to light while Credence was there, if she could only find them. She didn’t find them, but she did hear crying, and turned around to find tears running down Credence’s face.
“I-I’m part of your family tonight?”
Tina’s heart broke as she enveloped the kid in a hug, letting him cry it out, everything that had pent up all those years.
“Tonight you’re as much family as Queenie is,” she whispered.
When his sobs had finally died down enough to continue, Queenie had stealthily lit the candles, and had their old siddur open to the correct page, transliteration underneath the Hebrew. Taking one of Credence’s hands in her, Tina brought him over, where Queenie took his other hand. Together they basked in the Shabbat warmth. The next morning when Tina went to apologize for deceiving Queenie all she got in response was, “I know.”
