Chapter 70: What I had in Mind

"Bet you're gonna fail Magical Creatures, ding-bat." Samuel Boyd tried to spin his brother around as they walked into Ilvermorny's halls from the Thestral-drawn carriage that had deposited them at the castle's entrance.

Percy tried to bat Sam's hand away, not very successfully, as the blindfold gave his brother a distinct advantage. "Are they gone already?"

"No. There's a big, black, flesh-eatin' Thestral standin' right in front of yous,"

The eleven-year-old ripped the strip of cloth off his eyes and glanced around, then punched his brother in the shoulder. "There ain't even no windows 'round here!"

"Ok, but you was literally askin' for it," Sam chuckled. "You're such a baby."

"Forget it." Percy grabbed his bag and stomped off to the Sorting Round, where heads of Houses were gathered with the left-behind wands.

"You'd better stay away from that freaky friend of yours," Sam called after him. "He's more likely to eat you than a thestral is!"

The dorm wasn't empty when Percy got in. Credence was there, sitting on the bed. His wand was lying unheeded next to him as he busily rubbed a black wand stand with a handkerchief.

"Hey," Percy said, not sure what else to say.

Credence tensed slightly, "Hey."

The newcomer walked backward, levitating his trunk to the foot of his bed. "Whatcha been doin' all this time - mopin'? Hey, nifty trinket."

Credence took a little too long to answer the question, "Nothing really." Percy felt the Obscurial's on him as he set down his trunk. "Are you ok?" Credence asked.

"Oh, you mean 'cause the last time you saw me I was on a stretcher? Check this out." He unbuttoned his overcoat and gathered up his shirt, showing a residual, gray scar. Credence sucked in a shaky breath. "Ain't it nasty? People will think I was in the war." Percy's grin dropped when he saw Credence's face, "I'm fine. Really."

"Hey, guess who survived." An unfortunately recognizable form stood in the doorway, five boys behind him. "Ooh, everyone watch out, the Obscurus-person's here too."

"You're gonna regret that!" Percy shot back, dropping his shirt.

"Why? Because Credence might give me an ugly scar too? I'm terrified."

Credence fixed Finn with a look so filled with hate that it might just have burned that scar into him if he had held it long enough.

Finn's confidence quavered. "Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but it's getting kind of crowded in here. We need to move our stuff in."

"It's always too crowded," Loner Joe added, plopping his bag on his bed.

"See? No one's stoppin' you," Percy told Finn.

Credence did the unexpected. He got up from his bed, walked past Burke, Reitherman, and the Karab twins, not avoiding pushing Finn with his shoulder as he brushed past, and was out the door before anyone had a chance to say anything. Percy quickly made to follow suit. "We ain't done with yous!" he shot backward before disappearing into the crowded common room.

Activity made for a good cover; noise qua noise as trunks were moved, wands were tested, and dozens of warriors had to make their voices heard over everyone else's. "I saw you steal my dress robes, you little rug rat!" Pleasant's voice rang out above all the rest.

Percy found the only still object in the whirlwind of confusion. Credence had his back turned to the chaos, shoulders tense. Surprisingly, it was he who spoke up, turning around and for once looking his friend directly in the eyes. "You really saw everything?"

Percy hesitated. Credence's expression seemed barely held together. "Yeah. It was… a lot."

"Then you understand." The Obscurial's face contorted, though with what emotion it was hard to tell. "No one else really understands."

"I know," Percy said.

The voices all around blotted out the silence. Percy opened his mouth a couple of times, then closed it again. His vision had been so real. That deep, gnawing, gaping hole… how could words ever describe that?

"You still thinkin' 'bout goin' through with it?" he finally said, "With Finn, I mean?"

Credence nodded.

Percy blew some air through his lips, "Yeah, I mean, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind –"

"I have to," Credence cut him off. "You should know why. I have to or I'm going to go insane."

Finn heard a crinkle under his pillow when he lay down that night. A note, just two sentences: Tomorrow, 6:30pm, the classroom next to History. Come alone if you really want to see what I can do. No name was signed, but it didn't take a wizard to figure it out. Maybe there were some guts inside Credence Barebone after all.

A/N: Some of you may be wondering why Sam isn't afraid of thestrals/magical creatures in general the way Percy is. Well, he actually was at first, but not to the same degree. You'll recall Professor Tsalagi saying as much way back in his first Magical Creatures of the USA class. But Sam got over his inhibitions very easily and quickly. This is just due to how the two brothers dealt with the grief of their father's death. They both experienced the same thing, but it manifested in different ways, Percy's being a phobia of magical creatures. At first glance, it might seem as if Finn is unaffected by the party or Credence being an Obscurial (the way Credence realized he was at the end of Part 2). But you have to remember that most of what we see Finn do and say is not what he is actually thinking or feeling, but a cool and tough façade. Most boys have this. It would also be good to remember for the next chapter. Please review!