Author's Note: This chapter contains spoilers for Fantastic Beasts if you haven't seen them already!


"Do you know what an Obscurial is?"

Teddie furrowed her brow and then shook her head. She was sitting in the family room of the Flint's summer home. Around her were her friends, Mason curled up at her side, the book Dumbledore had left him closed in his lap.

"It was said to be a young witch or wizard who had developed a dark parasitical magical force," said Mason. "The force was known as an Obscurus and was a result of their magic being suppressed through psychological or physical abuse."

Mo nodded. "There has only been two ever recorded Obscurial's in history," he continued. "One was American and the second was from Sudan."

"This was back in 1926," said Mason.

Mo raised a curious eyebrow.

"I read about them last summer," said Mason. "They were in Ancient History of the Wizarding World. Back when witches and wizards were hunted by muggles, Obscurial's were common because children were forced to hide their abilities. But, when the International Statue of Wizarding Secrecy was created, and both worlds were separated, they disappeared as children didn't need to hide from their own kind and were taught to accept and control their abilities without suppressing them."

Teddie glanced at Mo. The look on his face was one of surprise at Mason's knowledge. He had known the young Ravenclaw for six years, and while he knew that Mason was a genius and had seen first-hand the effort and research he put into his schoolwork, he had never seen or heard the information just tumble from his mouth like he was now.

Mo looked at Teddie. A small smile graced her face as she met his gaze and nodded softly at him. "Impressive," he said, turning his attention back to Mason. "You remembered all that from one book that you read last year?"

Mason nodded.

"I've never exaggerated when I say Mason loves to read, Mo," said Teddie. "He's a walking, talking encyclopaedia of knowledge."

"It's why the Sorting Hat had no problems with putting me in Ravenclaw," Mason added. "Hufflepuff was a strong candidate, but ultimately it believed Ravenclaw would help be succeeded."

Mo chuckled. "But, yes, you are absolutely right, Mason," he said, nodding. "Children of witches and wizards were forced to hide their abilities back then, and sometimes it led to their abilities bursting out of them. It's where we produced the term uncontrollable magic. We use that term now instead of Obscurial since even just mentioning Obscurial draws fear from a lot of folk."

"I can see why," said Mason. "Obscurial's did a lot of damage," he said. "They're magic was unpredictable and explosive. They were blamed for things outside of their control, and some couldn't even remember what they had done due to memory failure during the attack."

Teddie frowned; her gaze drawn to the floor. "Like blackouts?" she asked.

Mason turned to his sister and nodded. "Exactly like blackouts," he confirmed.

Hesitating, Teddie turned to Mo. "Why are you telling me about Obscurial's?" she asked. "Is it because of the blackouts I used to have as a child? Are you trying to tell me something?"

"I did manage to pull your medical files from your Muggle Healers before we left England," said Mo. "They reported that you had several blackouts growing up due to emotional outbursts. But you didn't remember all of them. Does that sound familiar?"

Teddie nodded.

"I took what your Muggle Healers said about you and looked it up against Magical affiliations," said Mo. "As much as I don't like it, your outburst as a child matches those of Wizarding children when they were forced to suppress their magical abilities."

"You think I'm an Obscurial?" Teddie asked.

"We think that Faye may be showing signs of an Obscurial," said Mo, nodding. "But we aren't entirely sure."

"That's impossible," said Marcus. "The only recorded case of Obscurial's living past fourteen was the Barebone child in New York. He was a rare case, every other Obscurial has died well before their fourteenth birthday. Teddie is seventeen."

"I'm aware," said Mo, calmly. "Let me explain, please."

Teddie looked at her friend. "It's okay, Marcus," she said, reassuring. "I want to hear this."

Marcus settled back in his seat. He loved his father, but the suggestion that Teddie could be something feared and uncontrollable wasn't something that sit right with him. He had seen Teddie's life for himself, and in his eyes she had been through Hell more than once; she didn't deserve to go through it again. She needed a break at some point.

Mo smiled affectionately at Teddie. He loved the girl like a daughter, and he never wanted to put her through any more pain than she had already gone through. He understood his son's desire to protect the girl before him, and he admired his loyalty for his friend.

"As Mason explained, an Obscurial is born through psychological and physical abuse," said Mo.

"My parents never hurt me," said Teddie.

"I know they didn't," said Mo, quickly. "I would never insinuate that they did, and, if I am honest, that is why you never went as fully uncontrollable as Credence Barebone. Credence never had anyone that loved him. He was given up at birth and the woman that adopted him would abuse him. She could never prove that he was a child of a witch, but she suspected, and she beat him for it."

"Why adopt him if she had no intention of loving him?" Teddie asked.

Mo shook his head. "It was different times," he said. "Different countries. America in the twenty's did things a lot different to the way Britain did. But that's not the point."

"Sorry," Teddie apologised.

"It's quite alright," said Mo. He took a deep breath, licked his lips, and continued. "The Obscurial could physically interact with the world without making physical contact, though the ability was uncontrolled and triggered by the host's distress, anger, or other intense emotions. When it was out of control, the Obscurus would release an invisible, or nearly invisible, destructive force."

"Like a shield?"

Mo nodded.

Teddie lowered her gaze. She didn't want to believe that she could be such a dangerous form of magic, but all the evidence that Mo was giving her was pointing her in that direction. "If an Obscurial usually died before it's fourteenth birthday, how am I still alive?" she asked.

"Credence Barebone was an extremely powerful wizard," said Mo. "His latent powers, which caused his Obscurus, was what made it, so he was able to live longer. You, who was raised in a family of love and affection, provided the Obscurus with a barrier. It was only able to escape when you were pushed to a mental breaking point."

Teddie nibbled her bottom lip as the memories of all the times she had lost her temper as a child raced through her head. All the pain she had caused, all the hurt. It could've been prevented. Her hands curled into a fist, and she jumped as someone else' hand curled around her own.

"It wasn't your fault," said Mason, soothingly. "You didn't know."

"He's right, Teddie," said Mo. "You are not to blame for this."

"Someone is to blame," said Teddie, hotly. "How could I become an Obscurial if I weren't abused by my parents? How come my magic became uncontrollable and severely dark?"

"Rose and Robert may not have hurt you," said Mo, "but, when they decided to lock you away to protect you, Caroline Kyle and Professor Snape may have inadvertently caused your dark force. Faye was two when she was brought to the Muggle world, she was an extreme powerful witch straight from the beginning, but she had no control. Then she was forced to hide inside her body while her mind was controlled by the magical spells and potions that she was given over the years. The only time she was control was when you were asleep."

"Or angry," said Teddie.

Mo nodded. "I'm not saying that this is what Professor Snape and Caroline intended," he said, quickly. "Hiding you behind a wall of magic was their only choice of protecting you. If you had been raised the way you had been born for, you would've had extraordinarily little control over your abilities."

"Like I do now?"

"You have slightly more," said Mo. "Not complete. But more than a two-year-old would've had. A child is a lot more impulsive as a toddler, especially a two-year-old who was born for one purpose - to be a weapon. Can you imagine what kind of horrendous torture you would've been put through growing up with a Death Eater family? Trained constantly to do one thing? Wipe out anyone who opposed you?"

Teddie shook her head. She got the picture. It wasn't a pretty one. "So what you're saying is that Faye is an Obscurus, and the only reason she isn't out of control is because of me?"

"Yes," said Mo. "You have grown and been trained; you have the stability to reign in Faye's impulsivity. But, you need her impulsiveness to stop Avery and the Dark Lord"

"You want to pit a person who has been in locked inside her own head since she was a child against two of the most feared witches and wizards in the world?" Teddie asked. "Are you crazy? Faye would still be loyal to her parents, surely. Wouldn't she recognise Avery's abilities to be like her own and want to be with her to learn?"

Mo shrugged. "Maybe, but we're hoping that, if we can undo the magic that Caroline and Severus' put on her as a child; we will be able to get you and Faye on the same playing field and allow you both to bond. If you two can work together, her impulsiveness and your stability would make a force to be reckoned with," he explained.

Teddie swallowed. The idea sounded plausible, but it had its flaws, and she wasn't sure if she was prepared for one of those flaws to become exposed, even for a second.

"What does Teddie have to do in order to lower those magical walls?" Mason asked. "I mean, Faye took control during her second year and attacked students. But she only had control when Teddie was asleep. I did some reading into the possession when I got to school, it only happened because Vol -"

"Careful!" Mo interrupted loudly. "Remember that the Trace is on his name."

Mason nodded, his mouth drying up as the words disappeared from his tongue. "It only happened because the Dark Lord tried to possess her in first year after she destroyed the Stone," he corrected.

"You told him about that?" Theo asked.

"I was having nightmares over the summer," said Teddie. "We shared a bedroom, remember? I had to tell him why I was keeping him awake. My parents knew, too."

Theo frowned. "You never had nightmares when I moved in with you," he said.

"I had already been to see Professor Snape. He gave me a dreamless sleep potion to quell the trauma."

Theo nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

Teddie shrugged. "Because you were going through your own stuff," she said. "I didn't want to add to your problems with my own." She looked back at Mo. "What would I need to do to lower the walls?"

"It would be a painful process," said Mo. "This isn't just like knocking something down in one fell swoop. It would take hours upon hours of pulling and tearing. The wall that has been created between you and Faye is years of magic blocking all memories and emotions you both have."

"Faye was two. What memories could she have?" Teddie asked.

"You would be surprised what a two-year-old absorbs in their short lives. Tearing down this wall would unleash all that emotion and fear she felt the day her life changed, that alone will unleash a destructive force."

"As long as no one is within the vicinity, and I am able to reign it in, no one will get hurt, right?"

Mo nodded. "But it's not as simple as just tearing the last piece of the magic down," he said. "Like I said, the wall itself is blocking out some bad memories and emotions. You and Faye need to be on equal footing before the wall is completely gone. If you aren't coordinated, even a little, the destructive force will escape you and destroy everything within a hundred-mile radius."

Teddie's eyes widened. That would kill everyone around her.

"Are you sure this is the only plan?" Theo asked. "It sounds like a lot could go wrong."

"Unfortunately," said Mo. He looked back at Teddie. "Avery and the Dark Lord can only be destroyed with a force as equal as their own. Mr Potter is not strong enough to do this alone."

Teddie swallowed. Why did it always come back to her and Harry? "The Prophecy mentioned that an unknown power would help Harry against the Dark Lord. Professor Dumbledore theorised that there was three possibilities, and I was one of them. Did he change his mind?" she asked.

"What prophecy?" Mo asked.

"The one about Harry and the Dark Lord."

"This is the first I am hearing it," said Mo "I am basing my theories on what I know of the Sutherland family. While the next generation is always stronger, the last-born child has always been said to exceed great expectations in terms of their abilities. Avery was the last-born child of her siblings, and she became a lot stronger than her parents."

"And I'm the last-born child of Avery and Caroline," said Teddie.

Mo nodded. "You have the ability to surpass Avery, Teddie, but only with Faye's help," he said.

"Then let's do it," said Teddie. "If it's the only way. I'm game."

"Do you remember that I said this would be long and painful?"

Teddie nodded. "If I do nothing then they win," she said. "And what they do to people if they take over is going to be nothing short of what you're about to do to me. Besides, if you don't do it then they will. Either way, pain is the only thing I see in my future. It can either come from someone I know loves and cares about me, or someone who doesn't care at all."

Mo hesitated. He should've seen it coming. He knew that Teddie was up for anything if it meant keeping those she loved safe. Why should now have been any different?

"Okay," said Mo, standing. "We'll start the process soon. I would just like to apologise for what is to come."

"I trust you," said Teddie.

"One more thing," said Mo, pausing at the door. "Caroline will be joining us one evening this week. She has requested that she see you."

"Why?"

Mo shook his head. "She would not say. She will be here at 10pm. You will meet with her in my study, try not to be late. Enjoy the rest of your day. I'll see you at dinner." He left before anyone could respond.

Silence hung in the air after Mo had closed the door. Teddie could feel her friends eyes on her and sighed heavily as she looked up to meet their gazes. "What?" she asked.

"Don't you think you've suffered enough pain already?" Marcus asked. "Why would you agree to put yourself through more?"

"Because this is our chance to stop them," said Teddie. "Besides, I already told you, Marcus, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to avenge my parents. Avery made a mistake the day she killed them. If she thought that she would ever make an ally out of me, she failed the day she killed them."

Teddie glanced at Mason. He was staring at the book in his lap.

"And this is my only shot of saving all of you, too," Teddie added. She looked around at Mason and Theo. "Your lives have done a complete one eighty since you met me. This is my chance to fix it."

Marcus stood up and towered over Teddie. "Don't you ever blame yourself for what happened to us," he said. "We chose to befriend you. We chose to stand by you, despite knowing the consequences of our actions. You are not to blame for the turmoil we have been through. You hear me?"

"He's right, Ted," said Theo. "You think my father wouldn't have killed my mother if you hadn't had been my friend? He would've killed us both at some point. I was lucky enough to get away." He grabbed her hand and turned her to face him. "If my mother were here now, she would tell you to fight. She would tell me to fight. But she would tell us to be sensible about it."

"Mum and Dad wouldn't want you to get yourself killed," said Mason.

Marcus touched her shoulder. "So, I ask you, are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked. "I can speak to dad, and we can find another way."

"This is the only way," said Teddie, shaking her head. "I'm doing it. Please don't try and stop me."

Mason, Marcus, and Theo shared defeated looks. They should've known that trying to change Teddie's mind, especially once it was made up, was impossible.

"Then we're with you," said Theo, sliding his hand into hers and squeezing.

Teddie smiled. A warmth spread through her, as a tight obstruction lodged in her throat. It was nothing serious, she knew that, just a build of emotions at her friend's loyalty. After everything they had been through, all the lies and deceit – mostly from her – the painstaking losses, and now being in hiding they were still with her, still willing to stand with her and fight, and not abandon her in hopes of keeping Avery and Voldemort off their tails.

She could never thank them for such loyalty. The only thing she could do was promise that when this was over, she would do everything within her power to make up for the damages she had done. Thankfully enough, she was determined to do it.