(Dumbledore POV)
The tip of his wand remains dark.
Again, the boy whispers, "Lumos." Nothing. Not a spark.
I watch, hidden, as he tries for the twentieth time.
After an hour of watching him, I return to my office.
'This defies sense,' I think. Hagrid's wound confirmed any doubt I might have had about the boy developing an obscurus, but it still doesn't make sense.
An obscurus forms when a young wizard or witch attempts to suppress their magic, typically out of fear. But the boy has no reason to. He is among wizards who use spells daily, from a wizarding family where magic is no fairy tale. And most of all, he tries to cast magic.
'So why?'
"What do you think, Fawkes?" I ask him, soothing his feathers.
Fawkes sings, soft and sorrowful. He has seen this before—cried for days, tried to heal, and failed.
I can't think of anything. And I doubt hardly anyone else can either. Most people would report an obscurus as soon as they spot one, and it will be taken care of by the ministry immediately. Our best solution is to kill them on sight.
Or cherish the remaining days with him.
'What destiny is this? One of the rarest instances in the wizarding world, and I face three of them.'
'Twice before, I stood before children whose magic turned inward.
Twice, I offered comfort too late.
I buried both.'
I sink into my chair. Feeling utterly powerless, even after all this time.
'Most people would report them on sight.'
'Only one man wouldn't.'
I shake my head, getting that thought out of my mind.
'First, I have to tell them.' I decide, and pick up the parchment and quill and write…
'What do I even write? "Your son is dying?"' I hover the quill over the parchment, ink dripping onto it. Yet I can't seem to write the words.
"Sigh~" I drop the quill. And stand up, looking over to Fawkes.
"My friend, will you take me to a place?" I ask him.
He gives an excited cry, and the next second, I am swallowed in flames, appearing in front of the Patil mansion.
My hands quiver at the gates.
'I know I should tell them, but how?'…
"Headmaster Dumbledore!"
"Ah yes," I sit in front of the couple, not even remembering how I got here from the gates. All I can think about is how I come bearing the news about their son's inevitable death.
"You have something to discuss, Headmaster? I hope it's not about any of our kids getting into trouble." Mrs. Patil says, with a small laugh. Perhaps trying to ease me, seeing my discomfort.
I take a deep breath, and looking into their eyes, I tell them.
They don't believe me, how could they? So I take them to Hogwarts, and have them meet Hagrid, who describes the incident again, along with his wound, rid of the dark energy, but still fresh.
Still, they refuse to believe.
So, I summon the boy.
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(Ansh POV)
I walk, I think. I don't know. I can't think. Can't feel. My feet fall, one in front of the other, following the green cloak of McGonagall. She stops, says something, and then starts walking again. This time, ascending the stairs.
When we stop again, the door in front of us swings open, and I see them. Sitting there.
'This is the end.' I think. Surely, they have figured out the truth. That I am not their son. That I am nothing but a fake. That I am not a wizard.
They come towards me, and I close my eyes, bracing myself for the pain to come…
I find myself constricted, yet I feel warm. Not the roughness of rope or coldness of chains. Hesitantly, I open my eyes.
And finds myself in her embrace. I look up and see concern on their face, and all of a sudden, sound returns.
"Oh, thank Merlin, you are okay." She says, hugging me tightly, "I was so scared."
Instinctively, my hands wrap themselves around her back. Trying to comfort her, or me.
After a while we separate, and before I can wonder about their reason for coming to meet me, they ask me to perform a spell.
Any spell.
I freeze. I know I can't perform magic. I've been trying for the past several weeks. Every day. Every hour. Yet I fail.
But I know I can't get out of this one. So I raise my wand, swish it and whisper, "Lumos".
"No worries, try again." She encourages, after waiting for a few seconds.
I raise my wand, look at the hope in their eyes, and lower it. "I can't," I say, looking down.
"Come on, don't say that. It was just a fluke. Maybe you are just tired. No worries, we can try again later." She tries to soothe me.
"No," I say, frustration seeping into my voice. "I can't. I just can't! I've tried it. I have been trying every day, but I just cannot for some reason. I can't perform any magic, none!" I lash out, gasping for air at the end.
I slump down there, too tired to even try anymore.
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(Mr. Patil POV)
Ansh slumps down, head hung in defeat. I've seen him fail before, but never seen him give up like this.
"This still doesn't prove that he is an Obscurus Headmaster," I say. "At most, a curse that someone placed on him. I'll have him checked out at St. Mungo's."
My wife moves in to embrace him once more, and that's when I see it.
The temperature drops instantly as fog, black as night, seeps out of him with a malevolent aura. Spreading out and destroying anything it touches.
I hear my wife gasp, and I barely stop myself from doing so.
'This... This can't be.'
"Ansh!" she screams, and before I could stop her, rushes to him, enveloping him in his arms as the mist strikes.
"NO!" I draw my wand out, as does Dumbledore, spell at the tip of my tongue, to pull her back. Yet I was a second too late.
The fog lashes toward her— but it doesn't strike. It unravels at her touch, like a barrier surrounds her.
As more and more tendrils attack her, all vanishing the next second. As the fog clears, I see Ansh lying with his eyes closed, as she whispers calming words into his ears.
"But how?" I wonder, seeing her completely fine. An Obscurial destroys everything around it, leaving destruction in its wake.
"Love," Comes the voice of Dumbledore from my side. "Love, it is the greatest magic of all. The strongest of emotions."
'Love.' Normally, I would have scoffed at that. But as I see Ansh sleeping, with a peaceful face and her holding him so tight, without a scratch, I find myself believing.
"We'll take him to St. Mungo's immediately."
"I advise you to rethink that," Dumbledore says. "An obscurus isn't treated, it is killed in sight."
I almost lash out; 'How dare he talk about killing my son?!'... But he is right. If anyone knows about this, this won't end well.
"So what do we do?" I ask the only person in the room who might be able to help me.
"I'm afraid," Dumbledore shakes his head. "I've never seen one… recover. This isn't a disease that can be cured." He says quietly.
"So you are telling me to watch my son die?!"
"No, I am not, but-", he pauses. Looks hesitant, "I've seen this before. Twice. And both times, I couldn't do anything. I searched high and low for a cure, but… I never found one."
"I am not going to sit here and do nothing while my son is suffering," I reply. I am ready to pull every string, seek out any witch or wizard that might be able to help.
Dumbledore stays quiet, watching Ansh. Then sighs and looks as if he is going to say something, but then stops.
He does that again a few times, and on the fifth time, I stop him.
"Look, if there is anything, anything that you know can help, please tell us," I say- no, beg. "I'll do whatever it takes, whatever price I have to pay."
He looks at me, then back at the Ansh, and speaks, "I searched everywhere I could think of for a cure. I couldn't find one." He pauses, "But what I did find was that this 'entity' was more related to the mind and soul than to the body itself."
He looks unsure for a few seconds, but then continues, "I have read and mastered countless spells in both domains. But I still couldn't find anything."
"But there is one man," He says, as if forcing the words out. "One man who knows more about the mind and souls, more than I."
Hope returns to me at his words. No matter who he is, I will do anything it takes if it means he can help my son.
"Who is this man, Headmaster?"
"I…" Dumbledore starts, then sighs. "You must understand. This is not an easy man to ask for help. He… he sees through people."
"Quit stalling? If this man can save my son, he can see through whatever he wants. Just tell me his name."
He looks at me and speaks.
"Gellert Grindelwald."
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A/N: Yeah, I included the Big Bad Boss. This was part of the plan since I started wondering how to integrate him into this new society.
Will he survive? Or will the story end here?
Keep guessing (～￣▽￣)～