Est. 2018.
A roleplay account of a character originating from Fantastic Beasts, but strongly headcanon based. Multi verse and multi era.

CONTENT WARNINGS

This page and account contain strong dark themes that could potentially be severely triggering. These themes include severe child abuse and subsequent chronic injury, religious trauma (specifically Christian), emotional abuse/gaslighting, body horror, and mental illness - specifically PTSD, c-PTSD, and a fictional dissociative disorder.In the first Fantastic Beasts film, the implication is that the obscurus is inherently a dissociative condition; Credence doesn't realise what's happening to them. There are also implications that the obscurus, being a parasite that 'comes as a friend', has its' own separate sentience to their own. I am going down this route for my portrayal of this character, but I would like to make clear that this is NOT intended to be a portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder, often datedly known as having a 'split personality'. There are many negative and stigmatising portrayals of this real mental illness and I do not wish to create another. However, do keep in mind that the 'Jekyll and Hyde' nature of an obscurus means that there may be similarities to these often scary portrayals.Please do not follow or proceed to read if any of these things trigger you, it's not worth your discomfort. Feel free to @ or DM me any time if anything I post upsets or bothers you or if you have any questions.

KEY INFORMATION

(Info here is primarily based in HP/ FB verse but just take it as the general basis for all.)In pre-TSOD interactions, both entities are known by the name Credence. Aurelius would prefer to use the name Aurelius, but very few at Nurmengard choose to honour this.TL tweets are differentiated with a tag depending on whether it's intended to be the Credence or Aurelius timeline or persona (shown below). If there is no tag, it can be either depending on the reply.//Tweets that start with two slashes (like this) mean out of character, aka the writer tweeting!

HEADCANONS

Thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.ISIAH 62:2 (On their name)

For many years, Credence hoped that one day, when they found their birth mother, they could drop the name 'Credence Barebone' and take back their true name. But it didn't seem to be that simple; despite having been told the name Aurelius Dumbledore by Grindelwald, nobody has actually been calling them that, still referring to them as Credence. The only real exception to this is Queenie, due to her ability to see into Aurelius' mind and hear just how much they've grown to despise their adoptive name.They will not take kindly to the name Barebone but will begrudgingly tolerate Credence, until post-TSOD. Upon being reunited with their father at last, part of Aurelius' clean break from Nurmengard is that they have changed their name back - finally being known as Aurelius, as they always should have been.

Slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.EXODUS 4:10 (On their voice)

During early childhood, Credence had a stutter. Although this is a fairly common issue for children developing their speech skills, Mary Lou saw this as something that could be punished out of them. This resulted in them developing anxiety around speaking at all, nowadays known as selective mutism, which would far outlast the stutter and persist into adulthood. It's a severe case - they have been known to not say a word for days at a time, will often be unable to speak aloud in front of strangers, and will be rattled into silence by any emotional upheaval. When they do speak they’re terribly quiet, usually mumbling downwards.It’s easy to assume due to their speech problems that Aurelius isn’t intelligent, and people often do. Mary Lou certainly did, to the point that they themselves believe it. And on top of that, they've had no real education. They were taught to read upon the pages of the bible and Second Salem pamphlets, taught simple maths, and that was it. But, Aurelius is intelligent. They're perceptive, they have a knack for retaining precise information. One of their main drives is to gather knowledge and make up for the wizarding education they were denied.

Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?1 CORINTHIANS 11:14 (On their gender and their hair)

Aurelius is non-binary. Such a term, of course, doesn't exist during this era (though the similar word androgyne was known amongst queer communities only), but just because it's not widely known about in western culture yet doesn't mean non-binary people have not always been here. And just because they weren't fully aware of it until after being freed from Grindelwald and their obscurus doesn't mean they weren't non-binary all along.As a child, they didn't particularly realise that being a 'boy' meant they were supposed to be different from their sister Chastity; they once made the mistake of remarking how pretty his her long hair was, and how they wished they could have theirs the same. Mary Lou did not approve. Not only was that envy and vanity, but men with long hair were deeply unusual for the time - any abnormality was unacceptable, especially the type of abnormality that involved a boy preferring something more feminine. From then until her dying day she strictly regimented her adoptive son’s hair, cutting it into that harsh bowlcut which they despised.Even before The Secrets of Dumbledore's trailers confirmed Aurelius with long hair, my headcanon was that following Crimes of Grindelwald, Aurelius would grow their hair long at last, and they'd end up very proud of it. It's soft, and a little curly. They often hide behind it. They don't even care that a 'man' with long hair in this era draws attention, because for once it's their own choice after a lifetime of harsh haircuts with no room for self expression. Eventually, should they find himself in a supportive environment, they'll even be able to experiment with things like makeup and dresses and finds that they love it. Their gender presentation in an environment of safety and recovery is utterly androgynous, but leaning towards femininity.

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.EXODUS 22:18 (On their magic)

Aurelius thinks of themselves as a witch rather than a wizard.In the wizarding world, it seems that the terms witch and wizard have been gendered; a witch refers to a woman, and a wizard refers to a man. However, that seems like it’s a more modern invention - after all, Hogwarts is a school of ‘Witchcraft and Wizardry’. I feel like rather than it meaning ‘school for girls and boys’, it originally something along these lines: witchcraft is the more nature based, traditional subjects such as Herbology, Potions, astronomy. Things that typically come from the soul and the earth rather than the brain and books. The more scholarly subjects such as Transfiguration and Charms would be wizardry. The word wizard has a past in education and learning, hence why Merlin was king Arthur’s guide, hence why the three ‘wise men’ who visited Christ are in many languages known as mages, aka wizards. incidentally, witch has historically been a non gendered term. Although most accused witches have been women, there’s no separate word for the men accused.See: the NSPS. Aurelius growing up there was never told that they’d go to hell for being a wizard but rather being a WITCH. Witch is the thing they knew they were, that they suppressed so badly that they developed an obscurus without even being aware of it. They were told witches live among us, and WITCH is what is innate within them. Deep within their soul, once repressed, now free.They are incredibly powerful, has the most magic of anybody but not because of education, due to never having had one. Witch is nature and Wizard is nurture, and Aurelius’ power definitely was not nurtured. They use magic a little differently to most in the wizarding world; preferring not to use a wand, nor incantations, they simply draw that power from within and without.Aurelius doesn’t care that witch is often seen as a feminine term; though they're not a woman, they're not a man either, so it’s not a bother. Ergo, Aurelius thinks of themselves as a witch.

Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.MATTHEW 5:22 (On their sisters)

The most important person in Aurelius’ life during the timeline of the first Fantastic Beasts movie was their little sister Modesty. But they were not the only two Barebone siblings; Chastity, their adoptive sister, was the same age as Credence, and they were close as children. It was only as they grew older that Mary Lou began to drive a wedge between that relationship; Credence had a speech impediment, was ambidextrous, was showing signs of being queer and worst of all, showing signs of magic - none of which applied to Chastity, the perfect child. She began to believe every word Mary Lou said about Credence, never failing to remind them that they weren't trying hard enough, weren't good enough, yet could never properly look them in the eye. It was only when Credence and Chastity’s relationship broke apart for good that they developed the obscurus.Subconsciously, Aurelius has sought out the sister that they lost ever since; Tina was a big sister figure, a protector. At Nurmengard, it’s Queenie, at the Circus Arcanus it was Nagini, though many have speculated otherwise on the nature of that relationship. Though the quest for a mother is more overt, both of the birth mother they lost and the adoptive mother who abused them, Aurelius needs sisterhood too. Being a witch, they need a coven.

And he that was dead came forth.JOHN 11:44 (On their phoenix)

Aurelius found the baby phoenix upon awaking, resurrected in the remains of their adoptive mother's church after the Aurors attacked them at the end of FB1. Even when they were too weak to move, the baby bird stayed with them. It was a comfort that helped give Aurelius the strength to carry on. They did not know that this was a phoenix, a connection to their birth family… They simply knew that the baby bird, like them, was all alone in the world. It was something small and frightened. They kept it hidden during their time at the circus, kept in their pocket, fed from their own plate - it was only at Nurmengard, finding out that this bird was a phoenix, that they gave it a name at last, when they too were given a name.LAZARUS.One of the most important things in their life, Aurelius dotes on the bird. Though food is not scarce anymore, and though a phoenix is not a small bird by any means, they still feed Lazarus from their own plate, and turns a blind eye to the mischief he gets up to. In Nurmengard-verse, Aurelius lets nobody near their phoenix, wary and over-protective. In other verses, they're beginning to learn to relax and allow others near, though a life of being sheltered means Lazarus can be suspicious, and prone to biting any hand that attempts to get near.

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.PSALM 147:3 (On their health)

Though they didn't have words for it back in the 1920s and 30s, Aurelius suffers from a severe case of what in modern day we call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Though it started with their abusive upbringing, there are now other memories that trigger it, such as the events of the first movie - killing their adoptive mother and sisters, being tossed aside by ‘Graves’, and having MACUSA attempt on their life. They struggle to trust others, only to emotionally latch onto them quickly and intensely. They has frequent nightmares and panic attacks, much of which results in their obscurus lashing out. They also experience intrusive thoughts, often of the hellfire and eternal damnation variety. But, where they've been so repressed, Aurelius struggles to convey how they feel or even understand it a lot of the time. Experiencing or witnessing physical violence is a major trigger - they may not react to witnessing someone being hexed, but they certainly will to see someone be hit.Aurelius also carries a lot of physical scars in addition to psychological ones. Across their chest is a criss-cross of dark grey scars like cracks on porcelain, from where they were pelted by spells in an attempt to kill them at the end of the first movie. There are lashes across their back from both Mary Lou and Skender. They have never shown anyone these scars, and due to the fact they are easily covered by simply not being shirtless, it’s easy to keep them hidden. Far more noticeable are the endless layers of thin scars on Aurelius' palms due to the belt beatings they suffered from Mary Lou. These beatings inflicted daily with no medical treatment have left them with permanent nerve ending damage in his hands. This manifests in shakes, pains, numbness, and lack of dexterity. Their penmanship can vary from neat and precise to nearly illegible.Additionally, being an obscurial has physical symptoms. it is an illness, and Aurelius is dying of it. Grindelwald training them to use it as a weapon does not help either, quite the opposite - it's just another form of suppression and will only make them sicker.What kills an obscurial in the end is total organ failure. The obscurus is a parasite, draining the magic and therefore life out of its host. In return it leaves corruption, turning the blood into black poison that clings to the host’s insides, pouring as tears out of eyes white and blind. It suppresses vital feelings - fire no longer burns, ice no longer freezes, pain becomes dull, hunger, thirst and tiredness become difficult to detect.With each foray into their obscurus form, it becomes harder for Aurelius to become corporeal again. They know that they are dying. The question is… How long can they keep trusting Grindelwald’s advice that things will get worse before they improve?

Even the demons believe—and shudder!JAMES 2:19 (On their obscurus)

It is said in both Crimes of Grindelwald and a deleted scene from Where To Find Them that the obscurus comes to the host as a friend, at first. Dumbledore said that "If Credence has a real brother or sister who can take its place, he might yet be saved." to me, the reason Aurelius survived past the age of ten with the obscurus is because they only developed it past that age - because they did have a sister. They had Chastity. By the time they were both eleven years old, their relationship was straining at the seams. She knew perfectly well that they were a witch, and on occasions where she had witnessed bouts of accidental magic, she grew frightened of them. And when they witnessed her kill her first witch at Mary Lou’s behest, they grew frightened of her too.For the magical community, a child turning eleven is a coming of age. But for Credence, no letter arrived. Something else did, the very night they felt that they had lost their sister forever. Their friend arrived.
It wasn't a friend of the human kind; they'd caught a faint glimpse of a strangely dark shadow out of the corner of their eye, and then it had whispered "Hello, Credence."It was not of this earth, and terrifying. It could have been an angel; more likely, knowing that they were just a sinner, born to a wicked and unnatural woman, it was a demon. But Aurelius was lonely. They would accept friendship from anywhere. So it held their hand... It healed their wounds. Dried their tears. The abandoned church they lived in no longer felt so cold. And at night, it spoke words of comfort that lit up the dark.
But when Aurelius' faith in God began to fade, so did their faith in their ‘friend’. It no longer helped them quite so often - and by the time they were an adult, they had decided that it simply was not real. That they were suffering from hallucinations, and that any miracle it had granted him was just the imagination of a sad little orphan. It wasn’t real.They told it that even when its voice was no longer whispers, but audible words.
Even when it began to have a corporeal form, showing up only in the dark as a distorted, shadowy version of their young self, Aurelius did not believe in it. Even when they began to have an increasing amount of gaps in their memory, finding themself in places without knowing how they got there - often dark places, alleyways and subway stations - they believed it was madness, not magic. You aren’t real, Aurelius would remind it when it took credit for strange things happening around New York city. It would offer to protect them from the abuse they were being inflicted with, and they declined. As long as they knew it was not real, then they were not bound to end up in a strait jacket.It was this that kept them from telling ‘mister Graves’ what was happening. Graves had not asked Aurelius to find an adult who was losing grip of their sanity, he asked them to find a child, younger than ten, who had astonishing magical powers. Aurelius truly thought that they had successfully repressed their magical abilities as a child - instead, they had created a monster that lived within them.They only truly understood and stopped repressing the idea of what was happening to them when they came to after an outburst to find that the Second Salem church had been destroyed, and their adoptive mother and sister had been killed. Attempting to tell the false auror they looked up to, once they were met with a slap… the other consciousness in their head was as loud as it had ever been, their focus was purely on keeping it down. Acting seemingly normal, they led Graves to where their younger sister had been adopted from - only to lose control again upon being discarded and rejected.
“I don’t think I want to, mister Graves,” was not Aurelius’ own words but the obscurus’. Every ounce of heartbreak only made it that much stronger. Since their arrival at Nurmengard, it’s becoming harder and harder to tell which thoughts are their own and which are not… Being trained to use it as a weapon is causing an increasing takeover of the host by the parasite. It thinks that Aurelius owes it freedom to do as it pleases in gratitude for killing Mary Lou. It thinks that is is a protector, that Aurelius cannot live without it and that it is keeping them alive… Technically it is, but it is also killing them both.This is not usual for an obscurial, or at least, has never been observed to be. They don’t live long enough for the obscurus’ consciousness to become so vivid. But, Aurelius has survived three times as long as the usual lifespan of someone with such a condition, it’s bound to develop in different ways to one who lived with it a far shorter amount of time.(Footnote: for anything post-TSOD, all of this should be considered past tense. They have recovered from their obscurus, and are in the process of recovering psychologically too.)

RULES AND NOTICES

1.) Please make sure you’ve read my full warning on triggering content that can be found here. The very nature of this character comes with issues that could be major triggers or even simply just upsetting. Please make sure you’re aware before following or reading my content because I do not want to cause anyone harm! However, with any concerns you are welcome to @ or DM me any time. My DMs are open so we don’t even need to be mutuals.2.) ANTI ROWLING. This usually goes without saying but I want to make that very clear.3.) Writer is 27 years old. Despite being of age, I do not write smut, this is non-negotiable. However, minors, this account is not the place for you. 18+ only!3.) I will not write in a romantic or sexual way with Graves or Grindelwald under any circumstances.4.) Ships only with specific chemistry and only with men/ masc characters.
(Side note to Nagini accounts: I don't ship Aurelius and Nagini romantically however I would LOVE to write them as friends!)