Disclaimer: I own nothing

Margaret decides to take Credence with her to work the next day. She doesn't want to leave him alone in her apartment. She brings him to the wizard district in the middle of New York.

Credence's eyes grew big as she shuffles across the cobblestone in a smelly alleyway. The air around them grows stiffer and stiffer as they move, each place Margaret walks lights up with a yellow light. Soon they seem to be walking through jelly for a few steps. They emerge finally and Credence is taken completely aback.

Everything from the colors of the street to the weather has changed in an instance as they stepped through that barrier. Margaret speaks no words and Credence follows behind her, afraid to lose sight of the young woman in such a foreign land.

As they stroll down the busy street Credence looks around with hungry eyes. A smile is slow to spread across his face but once one finally does it stains his lips.

He watches every passerby. He reads every sign with complete amazement. He walks a few steps behind her but makes every effort to not lose her in the large crowd.

"I didn't know that there would be so many wizards." Credence finally says to Margaret after they walk through a heavy glass door. They hear a bell chime despite the absence of said item above the door. The young man can't stop his eyes from wandering around the room. The shelves are thick and old. Dust stained bottles litter the cabinets to his right. In front of him are vials of every shape and color he can imagine.

An old man peers over from behind one of the shelves when he hears the chime. Margaret looks over to the man and smiles gently. "Good morning Mr. Oestrum."

Oestrum nods and gestures towards Credence. "Who's your friend Margaret?"

"His name is Credence. Umm..." Margaret shifts a little. "He's a new friend."

"Why is here before the shop opens?" Oestrum looks at her skeptically then trains his eyes on Credence. Credence decides to study the hardwood a little closer.

"You've had that help wanted sign in the window for weeks." Margaret starts. "Credence can't do any magic, but I know that the help we need doesn't require that. We mostly need someone who can sweep the floors and stock shelves. I've been picking up the slack lately but this apprenticeship won't be very useful if I'm spending all my time scrubbing cauldrons. I know that Credence can be a big help."

Oestrum looks over at the sign in the window then back at Credence. "He does seem quite interested in the floors." Oestrum stands for a moment in thought. "It's not a rigorous job, I don't care who has it. And if you have this much confidence in him... well I can't really say no. But you're responsible in training him."

Margaret smiles widely and thanks her boss. She had talked to Credence about this last night but neither of them had too much hope. Credence wanted to be accepted into this society like he never was in his own before. A job he knew would be a good start. It was beyond his expectations that he would get to work with Margaret though. He starts to feel a little less nervous and risks a glance up at his new boss.

"Thank you" he manages to say.

Oestrum offers him a small smile before he hobbles to the door. "I have to pick some stuff up before we open. Show him around and explain his duties Margaret." The bell rings at a different pitch when the door closes behind Oestrum.

Margaret takes a moment to turn to Credence and gestures to the room. "As you might remember from what we talked about last night this is a potions shop. There are a few of these here but this is one of the larger and less specialized ones. We sell a wide variety of potions and keep a large stock. Customers will be restricted to this room and this will be where you will spend a large part of the day." Credence pays close attention to her. "I don't expect you to understand everything right off the bat so I'll start you off with a few responsibilities and then increase them when it seems you have gotten used to the ones you already have." She decides to start him off with a tour of the shop.

"These are the more harmless potions." Margaret explains to Credence. "We keep most potions in another room behind the counter." she leads him to the thick wooden counter. She moves behind it and through a door. They enter a large room filled with rows and rows of shelves.

Potions line cases with only number markers to indicate the potion and price. A book is splayed open in the front of room. It sits atop a tall table. He figures pretty easily that its an index of the potions. Upon a closer look he can see that it is also used to indicate the stock. "When a customer requests something not in the front of the store it can usually be found in here."

She leads him through the room until they find themselves at the back wall. She slides her finders gently across the wallpaper until a door appears. She opens it and Credence takes in the sight of a messy potions room. About five cauldrons sit atop a large slab of concrete. They are empty and dirty. He notices clean ones lining the far wall of the room. Empty vials fill the left wall and odd items fill the right wall. A large sink sits in the middle of the slab.

The floor of this room is uneven with many stains and dents in the wood. He can smell dust and ammonium in this room.

"This is where the potions are brewed. Some things are only made here upon request." Margaret backs him out of the room and closes the door firmly. She leads him back to the front of the store. She leads him to a closet tucked into the corner. She hands him a broom. "The shop opens in about an hour so we need to get it ready before it does. You can just sweep the floors today, that probably whats been neglected the most lately." She points out everything that he'll need in the closet. "I'll need you to start in here. When you are done you can move into the store room. That room is larger than you may have noticed and might take up a large amount of time." she spends a few more minutes explaining what is expected of him today.

Credence watches her lips as she speaks. "I'll be in the back room getting things ready for Mr. Oestrum until we open the shop, then I'll be helping customers until we close. If you have any questions just ask me."

Credence nods his head slowly.

"Well I guess we should get started now." Margaret says and leaves the room. Before she closes the door she looks back at Credence, he's already working hard at the floors.

The work day seems to go fast. Credence was able to finish what he needed to do and Oestrum even complimented him on the state of the floors. Margaret pats him on the back before she slides on her winter coat.

"Are you tired?" Margaret asks as they step onto the streets. Its already dark and the street lights cast large shadows over the street.

"No" Credence says.

"You did a really great job Credence."

Credence stops walking. No ones ever told him that before, It makes his chest feel warm hearing that from Margaret.

She turns around and looks at him concerned. "Are you okay?"

He nods his head, not really being able to say anything in response. The only thing that stops Margaret's worry is the small smile that forms on his lips. She takes his arm and walks him cheerfully down the street.

"You must be hungry? What do you want for dinner?"

Credence walks a little closer to her. Her body is warmer than he expected. "Anything" he finally says. She didn't expect a real answer so she doesn't argue.

The street is cold and still a little full of wizards. After he passes through the barrier he feels even colder. It makes it more pronounce to him how warm Margaret is against his body. He decides that when he gets his first pay check that he'll get a proper winter coat.

The apartment feels toasty when they finally reach it. Credence's bed is still made on the couch. They left so early that morning that there was little to be done other than breakfast. But this evening promised a better meal as he watches ingredients fly across the room at the flick of her wand. She's not used to cooking for more than one person so she finds herself having the adjust the recipes that she has memorized. But the meal soon sits on the table with little effort.

It's been a long since Credence could eat a meal before first dishing it out to all of his siblings. The gruel was always cold by the time it was his turn. He would never complain.

Margaret's food is a stark contrast to what he has become used to after so many years. It is warm and fresh and filled with love. It is hard for him to finish because it makes him feel too full. But still he finds his plate empty before he even notices. A second helping dishes itself onto the plate.

It is late before the meal is cleared and the dishes start to dip themselves into soapy water. After Credence has tucked himself into the couch and closed his eyes Margaret brushes her hand over his head in a caring fashion. Credence is awake, her hand feels warm against his cold body. She finds it hard to move away.

Disclaimer: Thank you for continuing to read this far, please let me know what you think of the story so far.