Echos >> Newt Scamander

22. I Always Keep My Promises.

Myra dove, tackling him out of the tracks. It was just in time, too, as the train went whizzing by right as they tumbled onto the platform.

Credence scrambled away from her, fear in his eyes. She quickly put her hands where the obscurial could see them. Though she could hear the spells being thrown between Newt and Graves, she tried to keep her attention on the boy in front of her.

The blonde slowly placed her wand on the ground in front of her, aware of Credence's wide eyed staring. She began to reach into her coat pocket, freezing when the obscurial tensed up.

Myra looked back up, "I'm not going to hurt you, I have something that might help."

Credence relaxed, but only slightly, and Myra drew out the Hawthorn wand from her pocket. She held out the wand, motioning for him to take it. He did, but his actions were with great hesitation and caution. As soon as the wand was in his hands it started shining brightly.

He dropped it, frightened, and Myra was quick to assure him that it wouldn't do him any harm, "It's yours, it will protect you. The glowing was just it saying that you are it's wizard."

"Bu-but," Credence stammered out quietly, "he said I-I was a squib... Tha-that I'm useless."

"He was clearly wrong," Myra explained gently, "The wand chooses the wizard, and this one chose you."

"Tha-thank you."

Myra heard the sound of a spell headed toward them. She spun around, summoning her wand back into her hand, and blocked the explosive spell with one of her own.

When she saw the state her Echo was in her eyes darkened and she saw red. Graves had blasted Newt onto his back and set upon him, casting spells in a whiplike motion with increasing vigor. Graves clearly had immense power, which angered Myra even more as he was using it to hurt her Echo, who writhed on the ground, unable to stop him.

Myra growled and transformed, blasting a huge jet of fire at the wizard hurting the brunette. She roared, powering Graves back with her claws so that she could stand protectively above Newt. He decided to send the same spell he'd been torturing Newt with at her, but the spell was absorbed into her scales.

The sound of sobbing came from down the tunnel and the animagus risked a glance at Credence, who was shaking clutching onto his wand, his face turning black as he tried to stop the kinetic mass from escaping once more. Myra made a split second decision and sheltered Newt in her claws, flying over to the obscurial, spells rapidly absorbing into her scales.

The cream-scaled animagus nudged her head next to the boy, making a cocoon with her wings to shelter Newt if the obscurus made an appearance. It was just magic, in this form, she should be immune. She gently nuzzled his cheek and pushed his wand closer to him, but this only seemed to make him cry more. She wasn't all that big, she was short in human form and she still shorter than him at her tallest, so she wasn't really sure why he still seemed so afraid.

Then she understood, he could hear the crackling of the spells as they hit her and absorbed into her scales. He didn't know that she wasn't being hurt, even if that was the wizard's intention. He could hear the quiet whimpering of Newt from where he was huddled in her wings. He didn't know that he would be okay. He was afraid. And fear caused people to lash out. He couldn't control it.

Myra stayed next to him, understanding, hoping that he would calm and see that they would be okay. If she could get him stable, she and her Echo could take on the man together, and as a pair they would have a better chance. He didn't seem to be calming down and the spells just kept coming and coming.

Myra could see the exact moment that Credence lost his battle to his obscurus, to his fear. She created an airtight seal that would protect the wizard curled up in her wings. It hurt, it hurt a lot. magic had never hurt her before when she was like this. Ignis loquitur aren't affected by external magic. And she hadn't made the mistake of opening her mouth like when she had died.

All it did was hurt.

But she kept her hold, she kept her Echo safe.

It only lasted a few seconds, the obscurus racing away toward Graves, who was on his knees, pleading in wonder. The obscurus let out an unearthly scream and dived toward him. The two had the worst game of cat and mouse, Graves apparating around trying to stay away, and the obscurus, destroying everything on its path toward the wizard.

The force suddenly accelerated, consuming the entire space of the station, washing over Myra in another wave of pain. Then it disappeared out of the station and out through the roof. She took this opportunity to hide a worried Newt deeper in the train tracks. He protested but the animagus growled, this was her job; to help the boy that was hurting.

She transformed back so that she could tell him, "I'm an Echo, Newt. I'll be fine."

Newt shook his head slowly and decisively, "I go with you or you don't go at all."

"I promised Credence that I wouldn't let him get hurt," the blonde said, turning away to head back into the battle, "I always keep my promises. You just have to promise you won't get hurt yourself."

"I always keep my promises," Newt smiled a small, nervous smile.

The pair apparated back into the main subway station, "CREDENCE, NO!" Myra called out.

The obscurus froze, mere inches from Graves' face. Slowly, very slowly, it rose back up, swirling more gently, staring at the two of them, both of whom looked straight back into its weird eyes.

"Don't do this-" Newt spoke gently and nervously, "please."

Myra couldn't truly see inside the obscurus, but she could see the outline of Credence, clutching onto the wand in his hands, "I know you are afraid Credence... I know that you have suffered... you need to stop... hurting others will not change the past... Newt and I will protect you... I will keep my promise..."

Graves got to his feet, "This man-" Newt pointed to the wizard, "he is using you."

"Don't listen to them, Credence. I want you to be free. It's all right."

Myra tried to ignore the man as she spoke softly to the Obscurus, calming him, "That's it..."

The obscurus was beginning to shrink. Its dreadful face became more human, more like Credence's own. Suddenly aurors began pouring down the steps of the subway and into the tunnel. More advanced from behind the pair, their wands raised aggressively.

"Don't," Myra warned them, a dangerous edge to her voice, "you'll frighten him."

The obscurus let out a terrible moan and began to swell again, causing both the blonde and her Echo to leap forward to protect Credence. The station was crumbling and Graves had spun to face the aurors, wand at the ready, same as the two of them.

"Wands down!" Graves yelled, "Anyone harms him- they'll answer to me-" he turned to the black mass behind him, "Credence!"

"Credence..." Myra whispered, a last attempt to calm him down into his human form.

The aurors began to pelt him will spells.

"NO!"

This was extremely hard for me to write. For one, I really didn't want to take away Tina's big moment, on the other hand, I wanted to set up this tense situation. Well, anyhow, we are all going to see how this plays out in Chapter 23. So, I hope you all have a good week and I'll see you on Friday with the next chapter.
~ Aria