Catastrophe || n.s

xiv. grindlewald

Penelope watched in pure shock as the dark force before her seemed to calm down at the sound of Tina Goldstein's voice. It had curled itself into a ball near the ceiling, a low rumbling sound coming from the mass as it twisted and turned.

"Keep talking to it, Tina," Newt whispered from beside Penelope. One hand still stroked her hair lightly, the other gripping onto her own hand. "Keep talking to him, he'll listen to you. He's listening."

Tina looked to the dark force with tears in her eyes, and she swallowed thickly. "I know what that woman did to you," she said slowly, hurt evident in her voice. She cared deeply for the boy that was stuck inside this monster. Credence's face suddenly appeared in the midst of the thick mass, looking pained and stressed as he tried to control the evil force inside him. "I know that you've suffered, but you need to stop this now. Newt and I will protect you."

The Obscurial suddenly increased in size once more, and Penelope expected it to rampage once more, though it remained calm as it listened to Tina's soft voice.

"This man, he's using you," the ex-Auror told the creature.

"Don't listen to her Credence," Percival Graves said from across the tracks, his voice low and threatening. "I want you to be free. It's alright." Though as the dark man spoke, the image of Credence's face within the Obscurial because to shake, his eyes growing dark once more.

"Stay calm Credence," Tina whispered to him, taking a step forwards. "That's it."

Though just as things seemed to be calming down, the sounds of dozens of footsteps echoed through the tunnel. Dozens of wizards and witches from MACUSA appeared in the stairwell of the subway, their wands all pointed towards Credence. The dark force immediately began to become agitated, a low growl coming from its midst.

"Shh, shh," Tina attempted to comfort the creature, turning to look at the MACUSA agents with pleading eyes. "Don't, you'll break it!"

"Wands down!" An agent called, ignoring Tina's pleads. The Obscurial continued to grow more and more as it became more angry, ready to lash out and attack at any moment.

"Anyone harms it and they answer to me!" Graves suddenly yelled, glaring at the MACUSA agents behind him. "Credence, calm down!"

"Credence," Tina continued to whisper to the Obscurial, her dark eyes red and puffy with tears. "Shh, it's okay."

The MACUSA agents suddenly held up their wands, and in unison, shot off a spell that together formed a single ball of light. It shot towards the Obscurial, engulfing it immediately.

"No!" Newt yelled, reaching out for MACUSA, though it was too late. Credence appeared within the Obscurial, yowling in agony as parts of his body were ripped away from him. He then disappeared in a flash of bright blue light, and then all was silent. Black bits of mass flew around them, falling to the floor as light as feathers.

Penelope stared in silence at the hole in the roof that the spell had created, her eyes filled to the brim with unshed tears. They were so close to saving the boy's life. Beside her, Newt looked up at the leftover mass with red eyes, his face blank as silent tears fell down his cheeks.

Suddenly, Percival Graves stood up and approached the hole in the roof, scoffing as he stared at the rubble on the train tracks. "You fools," he muttered as he turned around, his dark gaze focused on the MACUSA agents. "Do you realize what you have done?"

"The Obscurial was killed my orders, Mr. Graves," Serephina Picquery told him blankly, standing at the front of the group of wizards and witches.

"Yes, and history will surely know that, Madam President," Graves told her in a threatening tone as he stepped towards the group. "What was done here tonight was not right!"

"He's responsible for the death of a No-Maj," Picquery defended herself, causing Penelope to scoff with disgust. "He risked the exposure of our community!"

"And so have you!" Penelope surprised herself by speaking out, anger evident in her soft voice. She pointed to the gigantic hole in the ceiling of the subway, raising an eyebrow at the President. "You didn't exactly make killing the poor kid a secret, now did you? There's a giant hole right above our heads and hundreds of No-Majs wondering what the hell is going on down here."

"I did what had to be done, Miss Finch," Picquery said to her in a disdainful tone, glaring at the young woman through narrowed eyes. She then turned back to Graves, and continued. "That kid has broken on of our most sacred laws."

"That law has us scuttling like rats in a gutter," Percival Graves said with a scoff. "A law that demands that we conceal our true nature, who does this law protect? Us, or them?" He then looked to the ground, sighing before he turned to walk away from the group of MACUSA. "I refuse to bow down any longer."

"Aurors, I'd like you to relieve Mr. Graves of his wand, and escort him back," Picquery ordered as she stared after the dark wizard. Suddenly, a bright flash of blue light appeared over the hole in the ceiling, shielding the witches and wizards in the tunnels from the outside world.

Graves stopped walking, looking up at the shield before turning around to look at the others with a smirk on his face. He suddenly pulled out his wand and began firing spells towards the MACUSA agents. Some managed to block his attacks; others, however, fell to the ground as soon as the curse hit them.

Panicked, Newt stood up from his spot next to Penelope, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small green cocoon. Holding it by a string, he threw it towards Percival Graves, and immediately a bright green bird-like creature sprung from the cocoon. It flew around the subway tunnels, knocking Graves to the ground.

Penelope tore Newt's trench coat from her body, ignoring the shock murmurs of the MACUSA agents, and leaped towards the man, feeling the animal inside of her take over, tackling the dark wizard before he had a chance to recover from the green creatures attack. Baring her newly formed fangs at the man, she felt a paw to his neck to restrict movement.

"Accio!" Tina called from across the tunnel, and Graves' wand was pulled from his hand. Graves stared up at Penelope with wide, yet threatening eyes, though she paid no attention to it. She felt invincible, and due to the anger she felt boiling in her blood, nothing scared her at the moment of time.

Newt slowly approached Percival Graves, his wand in his hand. His eyebrows furrowed together, he twisted his wand in a circle as he neared him, a small white light appearing at the tip as he murmured, "Revelio."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Graves began to change right before Penelope's eyes. His features became more beast-like, and his hair turned a bleach blonde. Penelope immediately recognized the dark wizard, and she bared her teeth at him once more, a growl rumbling in her throat.

Serephine Picquery approached the man with a disappointed look on her face, shaking her head slowly. "Thank you, Miss Finch, we can take him from here," she said with a surprising tone of respect towards the Animagus in front of her.

"Do you think you can hold me?" The blonde-haired dark wizard whispered towards the President as Penelope backed away from him, two MACUSA guards taking her place.

"We'll do our best, Mr. Grindlewald," Picquery hissed to him, her eyes narrowed. As if that were the cue, the guards pulled Grindlewald to his feet and began to lead him out of subway, the dark wizard acting surprisingly obedient.

Newt stumbled towards Penelope, his dark blue trench coat in his hands. He wrapped it around her furry body, a small smile on his lips as he looked at her. Penelope slowly stood to her feet, feeling herself turn human once more.

As soon as she was on two feet once more, Newt pulled her into a tight hug, burying his face into the crook of her neck. "I'm so glad you're safe," he murmured softly, tightening his grip around the woman. Penelope couldn't help but smile as she hugged the man back, feeling all her worries slip away at his simple, yet affectionate touch.