Chapter 29: What You Wanted

Rocky was out of his seat almost before the five-minute recess was called, hesitating just long enough to receive the OK from Professor Blygull, before grabbing the child by the arm and disapparating.

The two appeared on the far side of the castle, in a room normally used for study. The boy wilted onto a couch murmuring "Help me..." almost inaudibly.

His rescuer was too occupied to notice. In two strides he had made his way to the wide wooden door saying, "Colloportus." A click sounded. Rocky moved sideways to stare out of the arched, multi-paned windows looking into the empty corridor, as if he was a watchman.

The boy continued to whimper from his seat, "Help me..."

"Stupid, stupid Dawson," the man muttered, "He went at it too hard. Could have had you take the whole castle out just to prove a point. Irresponsible kid, just like a Thunderbird. I thought he would have some common sense by now..."

"Please help me, please help me!" The child's voice had risen almost to a scream.

Professor Hodges took notice with a start. For a moment, he had gotten so myopic the child had slipped from his mind. "What? How do you want me to help you?"

But the Obscurial only seemed to be able to say two words. He repeated them over and over. "Help me... please help me..."

The professor ran his fingers through his thin white hair, pushing back frustration. He had taught eleven years of students how to banish boggarts with a single word, but he was still powerless with an Obscurial. It didn't seem fair. In this unfamiliar territory, he had to feel his way forward, only knowing what he saw and what this ten-year-old could tell him. 'It's just so hard sometimes... I couldn't fight'. The boy looked withered, spending all his energy attempting to keep himself within the realm of what people accepted; running himself into the ground; going and going until the balance tilted and the Obscurial dropped.

And that's when it hit him. Being pushed, they spent all their life energy trying to be something they were not, until there was nothing left but Obscurus. That was why they died so young.

"Stop," he said. When nothing happened, he grabbed the shivering child's shoulders violently, "Listen to me. Nothing is going to happen if you keep pushing it down. That's what did this to you in the first place. Just stop fighting. You said that was what you wanted."

"I can't."

Rocky rolled his eyes as if it were a quip, "Merlin's sake, why not? We're far away from everyone. No one has to know. I can always repair the damage." He drew his wand from his coat pocket.

The child hesitated, "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't." Rock stood up, "Trust me."

The Obscurial stared at him for a long minute. At first, nothing changed, except for his shaking stilled. The wizards saw his eyes glaze over, his profile blur. And then the world turned black as boiling tar.

Desecration ensued. Chairs and tables were toppled and stone was crushed into flour. The professor found himself to be the eye of a hurricane that swirled into volutes around him, so close that he could have lost his hand if he had reached inside. But they never touched. As the monster tore to shreds another Ilvermorny classroom, the professor's eyes fell to the floor.

A/N: Man, it's been a while since I published. By now you can probably tell that I like my Fantastic Beasts call-backs. Again, this is like the what-could-have-happened-if-so-and-so-wasn't-so-evil scene. Also, this is basically my explanation for the Obscurial's short lifespan, which would explain why Credence's great power allowed him to survive, though I'm still not sure if that's the full explanation. Only time will tell. Please review! Do you prefer longer time between chapters?