Chasing Arthur's Shadow

The shadow was behind me. Its quick reflection ran through my glasses, a heat caressing my neck. Ears were threatening with peeling off from my body, thanks to the screams coming from muggles at the gym. And the sirens, whose red and blue lights were barging in the space, our space.

The smell of smoke filled the atmosphere.

The darkest night of the year was taking place outside of the school. Fall season will never again be so terrifying for anyone that was witnessing this scene.

"Where is the kid?" A tall, strong dark man asked one of the frightened teenagers. Sweat covered her pink pom-pom dress, and her mascara was dripping through her cheeks. "I-I-I do not know! He puffed out of the stage! And then that black thing started... Oh, no, no, no, no!" The black cloud deformity appeared, running through the walls, dancing through the neon lights that became annoying, and flickered at its presence.

It ripped apart the paper ornaments hanging from the ceiling. A hungry creature, roaring. Like if a gigantic animal carried a storm. Lightning bolts came out of it. And a vast wind made its way through the place.

My back shivered, and my mouth went dry. I could still taste the mint from the lemonade I took minutes ago before it spilled over my dress. And now its bitter, piercing scent was all I could smell. "Oh, Arthur," I whispered to myself, concerned. Another troop of dark, built-up men entered the gym. "EVERYBODY OUT! NOW!" The screaming intensified. A herd of scared feet ran outside, desperate to get out of the school.

I have read this before. An Obscurus, was that it?

For a second, I could not move, but I had to get to him. I knew Arthur; he did not mean any harm, and nobody else could help him.

The shadow slipped through the main doors from where everyone was racing. Sending thunderbolts everywhere and taking the colossal hurricane wind with him.

I ran with a crowd of muggles outside of the gym. I could see the police officers running too. After a small second, the shadow blurred out to nowhere.

I could see the boy's bathroom light was out in the other hallway out of the gym. The authorities were too busy getting the kids. Who now puzzled looked around, asking what had happened.

I continued racing and took the wand out of my boot. When I reached the nearest wall, flicked it at me, sticking to it as I could, panting. Looking down at my body, or well, what has been my body, I made sure the charm had worked. My body took the same color and texture of the concrete beneath me, like a human chameleon.

Slipping my way through the crowd, making sure no one came near me. I sneaked my way through the hall into the bathroom, collapsing into the floor. My chest was going up and down. I ran the tip of my wand through my forehead, wiping some sweaty locks that I could feel wet on my face. There was a burnt smell all over the place.

I needed to get to Arthur. How did I not know that my ex-boyfriend was going through this? If I could get him to Newt, he would know what to do, how to fix this. Not only for Arthur but for all the other kids having their powers oppressed. We could save so many lives.

"When a magical child represses their talent through physical or psychological abuse. They develop a parasitical magical force inside of them, called Obscurus, resulting from their powerful emotions of distress." - I remember Newt Scamander's words.

A memory flashed through my mind. Arthur's step-parents invited me to dinner on a summer evening. Crosses and religious symbols carved in wood filled the walls of the house. But my parents were Christian, and these figures had nothing to do with Jesus.

I never got along with his step-mom. She was this skinny lady, dark-eyed, firm posture, and a nose so pointy that there wasn't a single scent that she could not perceive. Witch powder, for example.

I never wanted to cause Arthur any trouble, but he was precisely the person why I was in a muggle-school. They sent me to help with new witchcraft cases.Why didn't I ever know it was Arthur? Straight-A student, quarterback of the football team, a high school heartthrob. Arthur seemed to have an almost perfect life. Except for his relationship with his step-parents. So that's why I cut things off.

My life was too chaotic. I didn't particularly appreciate causing him any more trouble.

A desperate noise interrupted my thoughts. I looked down at my body to make sure I was still invisible. And rising from the ground, quick steps took me closer to the noise. It sounded like someone was crying. When I was close enough, I pushed the bathroom door with my foot. The flash of a blond mane, almost yellow, made me jump from the surprise.

A pair of enormous, sea-like eyes caused me to let out a massive sigh of relief. And Arthur raised his head in a jolt, wide-eyed.

"Arty, it is me, Julie," I said, almost whispering. The charm effect started wearing off. My hands took its natural color back, and the blond boy seemed calmer when he noticed this.I could see his veins through his very white skin. His sapphire eyes were blood-shut. His enormous body was arching, sitting on the toilet trap, and could not stop trembling. Tears started appearing out the corners of my eyes.

I wanted to wrap my hands around him, tell him it will be okay. But even though his Obscurus wasn't as nurturing, I could feel the heat coming from his body—electricity overlapping him.

He started whimpering and crying again as I stood on the stall's door. "Arthur, you are fine. This is not your fault".

"I am a monster." He cried harder. It was like something had defeated Zeus. His massive arms and muscles, tired and tense.

"Oh, Arthur, no," I said. "Arthur, I want to help you. We can get through this, and then we could change the world".

"I do not want to change the world! I want you back".

I felt a little guilty about my poor choice of dialogue. His answer and state were ripping the small bit of sensibility left in my heart.I could sense light flashing at my back, and I turned, alerted.

"Julie." Octavius Floyd's thin figure appeared in the room. He looked at Arty and me for a second. "Could I talk to you?" He gestured at me with his forehead and his stiff, pointed purple hair.

I nodded, looking back at Arthur. Octavius, Newt Scamander's new apprentice, walked towards me. When he was close enough, he flickered his wand at both of us. Our now chameleonic bodies walked to the hallway.

"... Big emotions usually make oppressed wizards generate this reaction." Said the purple-haired boy. "There was one case like this. Almost a century ago... Credence Barebone... These are powerful, extremely powerful. Oh man, oh man, you found yourself in the middle of a new chapter in history, Julie". Octavius was stuttering. Looking at the floor. "We must take him to Hogwarts, keep him there until we find out how to get the Obscurus out of him."I stepped back and walked into the room, looking at Arthur. "Well, I don't care what it costs, but I must save him."

"It's always about you. You, with your hero complex, trying to hide the fact that you're a drop-out, selfish, teenage witch, a weirdo." Said Arthur, spitting a laugh, his eyes turning white as the rest of his body was vibrating. "I'm dirty, can't you see? Polluted within."

"You've been through trauma. That's all-" I try to say.

"I went to hell." He shouts, his whole soul pouring through his eyes. "That lady has tortured me for years. Now, I have no control over my body. I'm in a place with no rest, no peace, not for one lousy second, just pain." He continued vibrating, his physical image distorting as his eyes remained white. "I'm burning and freezing and all because of you. I took this demon inside me, thinking I could save you from me... But you, you are not worth it."