Credence's devastated mind could no longer contain the hate raging within.
Years of fear, repression, and betrayal boiled over. His anguish took form… dark, monstrous, and violently beautiful… as the Obscurus tore through New York.
A cathartic, furious release.
From deep within the inky black of his silent form, a red light pulsed like flames from the depths of hell.
The relentless need to destroy, especially those who had hurt him.
Perched atop a building with a perfect view of the chaos, Garfield sat regally on Newt's head.
Beside them stood Tina, Queenie, and Jacob, all watching the rampage unfold.
"Cook, do you need my help?" Garfield blinked slowly, tail flicking.
Newt's eyes were locked on Credence. "We have to stop him… or he'll be destroyed."
Garfield nodded, purring thoughtfully. "Mmm, a moment this dramatic deserves an audience."
With a tap of his chubby paw, Garfield activated his live stream system.
Across time and space, mobile phones and computers around the world buzzed to life. On countless screens, a familiar pop-up appeared.
"The streamer you follow, Garfield, is now LIVE! Come and watch~!"
In moments, over a million viewers tuned in.
A third-person camera angle displayed 1926 New York, cloaked in night and chaos.
The footage zoomed in on Garfield, poised like a feline emperor on Newt's head as the Obscurus raged in the streets below.
The chat exploded.
"I'm watching magical creatures from a literal cat's perspective."
"Why is an orange cat broadcasting in 1920's now?!"
"What's that on my husband's head???"
"David, you clearly filmed a hidden plotline!"
"My aunt can't explain this. David, what do you have to say?"
"David: I don't even know if I directed this... sorry."
"THIS is the alternate ship we've been missing!"
"Old irons, brush the screen!"
Back on the rooftop, Newt clenched his fists. "I have to reach him."
Garfield gave him a firm nod. "Go get him. I'll make sure the world sees your best angle."
Down below, Credence was spinning out of control. His power lashed out violently, so unstable that not even Grindelwald could hope to control it.
As the disguised dark wizard intervened, Tina and Newt tried to stop him, but Grindelwald's mastery of magic was overwhelming.
With ease, he flung them aside like rag dolls.
Then the Ministry of Magic arrived. The Aurors had prepared enchanted detection devices and spells specifically designed to track Obscurials.
Their objective… eliminate the threat swiftly and discreetly to avoid human casualties.
With precise Apparition spells, the Aurors cornered Credence and began driving him toward the subway station beneath the Capitol building.
Newt and Garfield slipped into the chaos, moving through the smoke-filled ruins of the station.
Credence stood in the center… trembling.
Newt approached carefully, his voice soft, filled with that quiet compassion that drew in both beasts and boys alike.
He spoke not to the monster, but to the frightened child behind it.
Because Newt, unlike most people, saw with his heart.
He wasn't loved for his charisma. He wasn't celebrated for strength. But Newt's soul was rare… unclouded by ambition or cruelty.
He was the kind of man who tried to heal, even when everyone else chose to hurt.
The livestream's chat lit up again:
"My husband is so brave…"
"Credence… baby… "
"Warning! Grindelwald is coming!"
"Grindelwald looks like an old boss who knows too much…"
"Ohhhh you'll see what they mean…"
Suddenly, a blast of magic tore through the platform.
From the shadows, Grindelwald attacked.
Newt barely had time to react before he was struck, sent sprawling across the floor.
Grindelwald emerged and, with a flick of his wand, summoned a whip of crackling lightning, ready to finish him.
Smoke curled around them as the thunderous sound echoed through the subway.
Garfield, who had leapt off Newt the moment he fell, now sat just a few feet away.
He didn't move yet. "Tsk, tsk."
"Honestly, Grindelwald's clearly the aggressive side in whatever mess he had with Dumbledore."
Pandora popped up in a sidebar window. "Sexy cat, you're cooking again."
"I'm just stating facts."
"Aren't you worried your 'cook' is going to be beaten to death?"
"Nah." Garfield said confidently.
"Grindelwald actually likes Newt. Plus, Newt's Dumbledore's golden boy. He wouldn't dare kill him."
Pandora narrowed her eyes. "You sure about that?"
"Absolutely. Because… love, meow."
The livestream chat went feral.
"WAIT I realized it too!"
"I was feeling bad for my husband… but damn, Grindelwald is so fine."
"Suddenly I understand why Dumbledore and Grindelwald broke up."
"Love is magic."
"WTF!"
"Circle around!"
"Think what you think…"
The chat quickly devolved into chaotic lyrics and inside jokes.
Foreign viewers had no idea what was going on, but that didn't stop them from flooding the stream with excited comments:
"DAVID EXPLAIN."
"Need lore!!"
"Explain pls."
"+1"
"1!"
"1!!!"
Garfield squinted at the overflowing barrage and, with an annoyed flick of his tail, muted it.
The orange cat padded forward, weaving past rubble and magical smoke until he stood beside Credence, who was trembling and alone.
"Hey, kid." Garfield said softly, "You scared? I'm here, meow."
Something about the orange cat made Credence feel... safe. An inexplicable warmth.
His lip quivered as he reached out, desperate to cling to the only being who hadn't tried to hurt him.
But Garfield wasn't having it. He placed a paw squarely on Credence's forehead.
"I don't do hugs. Kneel and address me properly as His Majesty Garfield I, and I'll take you away, meow."
Credence blinked in confusion. He didn't understand the strange creature's words, but the orange meow felt… kind.
"Hello, orange cat. My name is Credence."
Garfield sighed dramatically. "Alright, underling. Guess I'm gonna have to make my move."
Just as Garfield raised his paw to knock Credence into a dimensional safe zone, a ball of light seared through the air.
Garfield sprang aside in a flash, leaving the spell to hit the ground where he'd stood.
Grindelwald was not a cat lover.
The instant Garfield leapt out of reach, Credence screamed.
"No! Don't hurt my friend!"
A pulse of black fury surged out of him.
Grindelwald had miscalculated.
To him, Credence was a tool, a weapon to uplift the wizarding world. But now this tool was angry.
The Obscurus erupted.
Grindelwald was forced into a defensive retreat, the confined subway filling with destructive magical force.
Outside, the Auror Corps had sealed off the subway station with a massive magical shield.
Credence slammed against it, only to be repelled, bouncing back into the underground with a roar.
The violent magic tore through everything… until Credence, drained, began to collapse inward. His body stabilized…
Tina approached steadily, trying to appear non-threatening.
"Credence… please. You don't have to fight. You're not alone anymore. You can come back to us."
"Just come back…"
Her words reached him, the creature inside him hesitated.
Grindelwald, watching from a distance. If Credence lost control again… everything he planned would crumble.
Then footsteps echoed in the station.
The Auror army had arrived, descending from the upper platform.
Grindelwald rushed to meet them. "Don't act. Don't ruin this."
But it was already too late.
From behind the line of wands.
"Kill it."
It was Seraphina Picquery, President of MACUSA.
Garfield's fur bristled.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Phantom your way through a treasure trove of chapters waiting on P@treon!
PhantomDream