𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔲𝔰

Nineteen

We stood on the roof of another building and stared as the large black obscurial destroyed the city before us. 

"That's more powerful than any obsucurus I'd ever heard of." Newt said.

He suddenly reached down and handed his suitcase to me. "Wha---" He held up a hand to silence me. 

"If I don't come back, look after my creatures. Everything that you need to know is in here." He placed his old journal in my hands. I shook my head.

"No, I am not letting you do this alone." He just gave me a sad look before averting his eyes back to the wrecked city. 

"I..." He started to say. I was practically leaning forward in anticipation, waiting for him to finish his sentence, but he just shook his head. "They're not killing him." He then jumped forward and disapparated.

I stood there for a few moments in shock before I cleared my head. "Queenie," I walked over to her, thrusting the case and the journal in her arms, "please take care of these creatures." I said before disapparating as well. 

I was on the ground level of the city now, in the midst of the battle. I saw Newt ahead of me, running forward to avoid the obscurial's deadly tendrils. I was about to follow him when I was thrown off my feet. 

I landed a few yards back and saw Mr. Graves in front of me. 

"I thought you had been taken care of, Ms. Garner." He sneered. I growled and hopped back to my feet, pulling out my wand. I threw as many spells as I could while defending myself, but I slowly felt my magic draining away. How was he this good at dueling? He didn't even need to say some of the spells.

Suddenly, he was stunned from behind. He fell to the floor writhing, and I saw Tina. "Oh Merlin!" I sighed in relief and ran forward, hugging her. "Listen, I think Graves is---" "DUCK!" She yelled suddenly.

I quickly crouched in time to avoid the car that had been thrown towards us. I looked back up to see that Mr. Graves had retreated in the underground subway station. The two of us followed just as MACUSA arrived. They surrounded the perimeter and kept the muggles out of the danger zone.

Tina and I crept through the underground quietly. I heard whispers ahead of us and took a peek. It was Newt talking to... Credence? I gasped quietly, he was the obscurial? 

The boy cowered in the corner as Newt tried to coax him out. I watched as Credence loosened up a little bit, but Newt was suddenly stunned. 

Mr. Graves snuck up on him and continued to release spell after spell, frightening Credence. His eyes turned a milky white as he shook, quickly morphing into a black cloud and expanded to every corner of the subway. 

"Hold onto me!" I yelled at Tina before disapparating to avoid getting killed by the obscurial. It took a while for the boy to finally calm again, and we found him sat hunched in a ball in the middle of the subway tracks. 

"Tina, talk to him." I urged. "You can fix this."

"No, you. Remember all you did for him? I'll go find Newt, alright?" She took off before I had the chance to oppose. 

I took a deep breathe and stepped forward. "Credence," I said softly. He quickly flinched and looked at me cautiously. "Credence, I know what.... that woman did to you." He shivered slightly.

"She was never your mother, she made you suffer. But... you can't take it out on these people." He looked down at the ground. "You need to stop this. You can come with me. I know this man who would protect you with all his life." I gave him a small smile. "We won't let anyone harm you ever again, okay?" He shifted slightly so he was kind of facing me.

"Don't listen to her Credence." I whipped my head around to see Graves. "Together, imagine what we could do!" He extended his hand to the boy, who shook and pulled his knees up to his chest.

"Credence NO!" I heard behind me. It was Tina holding Newt up. "Oh Merlin," I ran to him and helped him stand. Credence, meanwhile, quickly took the form of an obscurus.

It stilled and all was quiet as everyone held their breaths in suspense. "Don't do this, please." She pleaded, her voice cracking. "This man is using you Credence." She pointed at Graves, who rolled his eyes.

"Don't listen to them, I want to set you free." He slowly walked towards the obscurus. I clutched my wand tightly.

The black mass settled, and I could see Credence's sad but hopeful face from within. "You're doing it Tina." I grinned at her.

But I spoke too soon. I heard a stampede of footsteps to our left, it was MACUSA'S aurors led by Madame Piquery herself. They all pointed their wands at Credence, who grew again in fright. 

"Wait, don't scare him!" I held my hands up, but they didn't heed. Beams of light shot from their wands and right through the boy. I saw him cry out in agony before he exploded. 

I covered my sobs with my hand and hid my face in Newt's shoulder. He held me as I cried. 

Credence was dead.