Queenie explained the situation, telling him what she had seen in Credence's mind. Her hands clasped in front of her chest, she was hopeful that Newt had in his possession one of the mythical dream-eating creatures and that they could use it to free the Obscurial from his nightmares.
The Magizoologist was still, lost in thought as she described the horrific details, the creature on the bridge and the approaching storm. His expression was difficult to read, his thoughts even more so. Queenie waited with bated breath, and finally he spoke.
"It's not that simple, is it? Credence is trapped because he's trying to work through everything in his mind. If we prevent him from processing his emotions, from accepting his death and that he has to leave us..." He struggled for a minute, searching to find the correct words. "Well, it's just that people need to work through these things," he concluded, hoping it would be enough that she would understand.
Queenie's shoulders sank, her interlocked fingers coming undone. What he was saying made perfect sense. Just as his parents would have to work through their emotions surrounding the loss of their child, Credence would have to process these emotions as well, knowing that he'd be leaving behind the family and friends he'd made throughout his journey. It was a process of acceptance, one that the children would have to face as well.
She looked to the children who had gathered on the bench outside the door. These children, who had built an army of toys to fight Death, hadn't reached the point where they were ready to accept the passing of their father, uncle and best friend. For the time being, they were all struggling to accept his fate. Credence was still fighting, and the children were prepared to go to war for him.
Aberforth took a step forward, moving from the doorway to his son's bedroom and into the hallway. "In case you forgot, that's my son you're talking about. I have the right to make decisions on his behalf when he's unable to." He turned to Newt, desperation shining in his eyes. "I know it's selfish of me to want to keep him alive in his current state. But I must ask that you tell me more about this dream eating beast."
Newt seemed almost relieved at the change of topic. Death wasn't his specialty, nor was he skilled in understanding or even recognizing human emotions. He straightened a little, delving into the mythology surrounding the beast in question.
"It has a unique ability. See, I'm the only one to study it properly in captivity. It can view the dreams of a sleeping individual much like we're able to review memories in a pensieve. If you were to obtain the dream essence from someone who is sleeping, those dreams can be traversed in a similar manner. We would only have to collect a sample in order to - " Newt paused in midsentence, realization slowly dawning on him.
Queenie's expression brightened. Beside her, her sibling uttered a faint gasp. Aberforth's eyebrows lifted towards his hairline, a glimmer of hope shining in his sapphire eyes.
"The children," Aberforth said at length. "Can we send them into Aurelius' dreams to save him? To reach him somehow?" When Newt gave him a look of confusion, Aberforth continued. "They mean everything to him, especially the girl. She's like a daughter to him, the child he's always wanted but could never have due to... health reasons." He trailed off, briefly glancing to the side while scratching the back of his head. Finally making eye contact, he added, hoarsely, "Please, Newt. He's my only son."
"I don't know." The Magizoologist was staring at his shoes, his thoughts drifting back to the unfortunate child he failed to protect. "I've never tried sending more than one person into a dream before. I've only ever tried it by myself. Sudanese girl," he added awkwardly. "Went into a coma before she passed."
"Uh, excuse me," Jacob interrupted, raising a hand as though he were in class, asking the teacher a question. "You guys sure we should be talkin' 'bought this in front of them?" He motioned towards the Muggle children.
Newt was confused. "We're talking about it in front of you."
"Yeah, I know, but aren't they different?"
Quico, who was sitting on a bench in the middle of the three children, held his koala while making a gentle rocking motion, as if he were trying to rock the stuffed animal to sleep. "Dreams," he softly murmured.
Chavo, who had his frog plushie tucked under his arm, was looking rather perplexed. "Is there going to be another animal with boobs like my frog?"
Chilindrina, with her father's old opossum plushie dangling from her clenched fist, suddenly spouted, "So are we gonna summon the witch or what?"
Newt and Queenie exchanged nervous glances. Tina stepped forward, kneeling before the little girl. "How old are you?" she asked, trying to keep her tone steady. She wasn't sure about allowing this little girl to join their adventures. Jacob was one thing, he was a grown man, but this was something entirely different.
"Old enough!" Chilindrina spat, brandishing her stuffie at Tina. "Quico told us to make a toy army to fight Death, so if we gotta summon the witch and use her magic to save Daddy, then let's get a move on!"
"Do you believe in magic?" Newt queried, his curiosity peaked. He couldn't help smiling a little at her determination. This precocious child didn't seem to be afraid of anything they were discussing. No, quite the opposite. She had gone into this prepared, and after looking down the line one by one, Newt was starting to realize that they'd brought their toys for a reason.
"I think at that age they believe in pretty much everything," said Jacob, a grin forming on his lips.
Quico looked up at them, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. "Dada dreams," he said, sniffling and holding up his koala. "Wala save Dada."
"We could always obliviate them afterwards," Tina firmly stated, trying and failing to hide the exasperation in her tone. "Though I'm not sure if it would be necessary. They are children, after all. I don't think anyone would believe them. But is this safe? Those creatures of yours - "
"They aren't dangerous," Newt interrupted, shaking his head. Tina sighed.
"Then I guess we're doing this."
.oOo.
The children were told to stay back, with Jacob standing guard to prevent them from getting too close as Newt flipped the catch on his suitcase, opening the lid and climbing inside. A handful of gasps and whispers crept through the silence of the room, intermingling with the sound of Newt's footsteps on the ladder.
"Wala?" Quico asked, leaning sideways and peering around Jacob's hip, trying to get a better look at what was inside.
Jacob chuckled. "Oh, there is so much more than koalas in there, kiddo."
The baku was first to emerge from the suitcase, her elongated snout curling over the edge and sniffing her surroundings. The trunk itself was black, with deep wrinkles etched into its leathery hide. A pair of curved tusks protruded from her upper jaw, her eyes a pale shade of milky blue. The sight was enough to make one think she had gone blind, her irises concealed beneath hazy shades of winter gray and dull white.
The creature's fur was long, a dense coat of pure white, with the tail and claws of a lion attached to the body of a tapir. She rose from the confines of the suitcase, levitating in midair, all while closely observing the inhabitants of the room. Her ears flicked, twitching, searching for the fainted sound. For a moment, the children were silent, staring in awe at the magnificent beast.
Newt followed close behind, reaching out and stroking the creature's luxurious coat. "Gertrude," he said, a lopsided smile taking shape as the creature purred and nuzzled his hand. "She's a beauty, isn't she? Careful now, bit strong, I might add."
The massive creature waddled towards the children, with Quico gleefully shouting, "Phanpy! Phanpy!" Chilindrina, however, didn't seem convinced.
"So the witch turned herself into a fuzzy elephant, huh? What happened? Did she forget the spell to turn people into donkeys?" And with that, she reached out and seized the animal by the tail, giving it a sharp tug. Gertrude quickly retaliated by turning around and snapping at the child.
"Whoa, whoa!" In the blink of an eye, Newt had scooped up Chilindrina, holding her out of reach so the beast couldn't get to her. "Let's not do that."
A low, rumbling growl crept up Gertrude's throat, her pale eyes narrowing. The great beast tried hopping up on her hind legs to get at the child, snapping and snarling. Newt sidestepped the creature, raising the child above his head when Gertrude took a flying leap and slammed her front paws against his chest. The blow was enough to send him toppling backwards onto the bench, still holding Chilindrina, who let out a shriek and dropped her toy.
The boys screamed as well, leaping up from the bench just as Tina started towards the creature. Chilindrina was screeching and flailing, her feet dangerously close to kicking Gertrude in the face, while Newt was pinned beneath the weight of the creature, feeling her hot breath against his face. Tina was inches away from reaching the enraged animal when the witch let out a cry and was roughly shoved out of the way by a pair of calloused hands.
"Not my granddaughter!" And with that, Aberforth seized the monstrous beast by the thick mane at the back of her neck, lifting her off the Magizoologist's chest. Gertrude's front paws flailed usually, if only for a moment, before going limp. Newt, his chest heaving as he fought to steady his breathing, looked up at Aberforth. "You're not the only one who has experience with animals."
"Thanks," Newt breathed, slowly sitting upright. He loosened his hold on Chilindrina, who was struggling to reach her fallen toy. The little girl immediately dropped to the floor, where she scurried across the dusty surface on her hands and knees before grabbing the stuffed animal.
"Now I don't suppose either of you want to behave," Aberforth snarled, causing both the child and the creature to wither under his fierce gaze. Even Queenie was taken aback by this abrupt change in attitude, swallowing hard and taking a step back. Quico was already trying to crawl under the bench.
"You saw the way it looked at me!" Chilindrina shouted, pointing at Gertrude. "She was gonna curse me, and cut me up and put me in a stew, and throw a bomb at me, eat me, puke me up, then run me over with a steamroller, no, two steamrollers and a tank, and then - "
"I said that's enough!" Aberforth shouted. The room went silent, and the creature was still. His sapphire eyes, burning with intense anger, seemed to bore into every last living being in the room. "That's enough."
The surly goat breeder released the baku, who shuffled across the floor to Newt's side. "We only have one goal here," Aberforth continued, coming forward and taking charge of the situation. He was no Albus Dumbledore, but the ancient might and magical prowess passed down through his family was undeniable. "We came together to help my son. I doubt that he'd want to see us fighting like this."
This simple statement was enough to bring them to their senses, with Chilindrina hanging her head in shame. She was the first of the three children to get to her feet, coming forward and volunteering to be sent into the world of Credence's dreams. Chavo was second, and it was only with some gentle coaxing that Quico finally gave in and decided to join the fight.
The plan was simple enough. Newt was taken into Credence's bedroom, where he tentatively lifted his wand and placed it against the Obscurial's temple, withdrawing a few shining silver strands of dream essence. This essence drifted and swirled before his eyes, forming a hazy mist. But it was dark, tainted by the parasitic entity that corrupted the nightmares within. Shadows moved like liquid smoke at its center, the core flashing with what could only be described as streaks of bluish lightning.
The children gathered around the baku as they watched Newt inspecting the darkened mass. He turned to his creature, a look of somber determination etched into his features.
"You know what to do."
Gertrude nodded, uttering a low, gutteral growl. She lifted her trunk, making a motion that caused the spectral cloud to expand, opening up like a swirling portal.
"She can't go with you," Newt said, looking back at the children. "I'm sorry, but she has to stay here and maintain control over the entrance. Otherwise, you won't be able to return."
"Dada?" Quico whispered fearfully, gazing up at the shimmering lights encircling the gateway. He stood at the entrance, his features bathed in an ominous glow. It was a curiosity beyond that of THE DOOR, a greater wonder, or perhaps a frightening illusion. Was any of this even real? Long about now he couldn't be sure.
"Come on!" Chilindrina took hold of Quico by the hand and pulled him towards the portal. As they approached the entrance, a phantom wind swirled around them, ruffling the folds of her dress, tugging on her hair. Quico, with his koala tucked under his arm, reached up and held onto his hat to keep it from blowing off. "You told us what we needed to do in order to save our dad, now let's go!"
Before he was given the chance to protest, Chilindrina hauled him forward with all her might, pulling the boy into the vortex. Chavo, not wanting to get left behind, took a running leap and dove in behind them.
Now the true suffering begins.