The Little Superman of Hogwarts

Of course, Credence Barebone knew that, to put it simply, an Obscurus was actually a kind of PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—a mental illness common among soldiers and police officers.

Credence nodded at Professor McGonagall and said, "An Obscurus is actually a kind of mental illness. In Muggle terms, it's a disease similar to Stockholm Syndrome."

Professor McGonagall didn't understand what Credence was talking about with Stockholm Syndrome, but she could roughly guess what Credence meant: "It's good that you know."

Professor McGonagall explained, "Obscurus, meaning 'the Dark One,' are actually caused by the inability to release magic for a long time, which ultimately leads to the magic not flowing smoothly, resulting in a malformation. Every Obscurial will eventually go mad in the final stage. The magic will develop a self-awareness, or rather, their soul will be eroded by the magic—ultimately, this person's soul will merge with the Obscurus, becoming a sentient Obscurial. Very few Obscurials live past the age of ten. Some information I have indicates that from the Middle Ages to the present, only three Obscurials in the entire European region have exceeded the age of 11. There may be omissions, but it's largely the same…"

Professor McGonagall looked at Credence with a subtle hint of sympathy in her eyes: "I suspect you are an Obscurial!"

Credence thought for a moment: "Impossible!"

"There are actually two types of Obscurials. One is the active Obscurial, caused by an unsuitable environment leading to the stagnation of magic and magical power. The other is the passive Obscurial, caused by some defects or characteristics in the body that prevent magic from being released smoothly."

"Of course, the ending for both is the same—they will eventually go mad and die…" Professor McGonagall explained.

"Are you suspecting that I am a passive Obscurial?" Credence asked.

"Yes! I have been observing you continuously for the past week, but you have not released even the smallest spell, or any magical fluctuation! I think you yourself have realized this problem!" Professor McGonagall said.

Credence replied, "It is true that I have not been able to release any magic in the past! But can you rashly conclude that I am an Obscurial based on this? Why can't you say that I am a Squib?"

"You have very strong magical fluctuations! This is simply not something a Squib can do, such as Argus Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts—if you have seen him, you should be able to feel it, that body is like a dried-up spring."

Credence thought carefully. Indeed, Filch, as the caretaker of Hogwarts and the only Squib, as a wizard, doesn't even need special perception. Just by relying on a wizard's intuition, one can feel that Mr. Filch has absolutely no magical fluctuations and is a complete Squib.

Professor McGonagall said, "I think I can ask you a few questions in order to further determine!"

"Please ask!" Credence also wanted to understand whether he was an Obscurial or not. If he really was an Obscurial, he would have to find a way to solve the matter.

"Since you were a child until now, have there been any magical outbursts? Do you know what I mean by magical outbursts?" McGonagall asked.

"Hermione and Harry have both told me, but it seems like I haven't. At least, in my memory, I have never had a magical outburst," Credence said.

"Then how long have you been training magic? From when you came into contact with the first real spell?"

Credence replied, "It's been 57 days. The first spell I came into contact with was 'Scourgify,' but even now I can't even ruffle a single strand of hair!"

Credence said here, explaining, "I can feel that there is extremely powerful magic hidden within my body. I have observed the students and professors of Hogwarts, and I am certain that no one can compare to my total amount of magic—perhaps only Mr. Dumbledore can slightly match me."

"Really?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, "You are only 11 years old now. Even Headmaster Dumbledore only possessed such strong magic after years of tempering after adulthood!"

"I'm basically certain!" Credence said, "I can indeed sense the magical fluctuations on everyone, such as Professor McGonagall, you are only about two-thirds to three-quarters of Headmaster Dumbledore's."

Professor McGonagall looked at Credence in shock. After what seemed like a dozen seconds, she said seriously, "Your situation seems to be more serious than I imagined. You are so sensitive to magic. As you said, my magic is indeed only two-thirds of Dumbledore's. But if that's the case, the value of your own magic that you sense is quite accurate. With such enormous magic, once you lose control, the Obscurus that forms will be an incredibly terrifying existence!"

Credence thought for a moment and explained, "Perhaps you are exaggerating a bit. I don't feel anything unusual—Obscurials should at least have some psychological obstacles, but I don't feel any of these things…"

"Hopefully!" Professor McGonagall said, "Let me get to the point. I suspect you are an Obscurial, so I am planning to introduce you to an association."

"Association?" Credence asked.

"Yes, to be precise: The Obscurial Hope Association!" Professor McGonagall said.

"From ancient times to the present, Obscurials have been a stubborn problem, so there have always been a few wizards with extremely high achievements who have tried to solve this problem. The association was founded three hundred and fifty years ago, when the top magicians and alchemists tried to save wizards who had become Obscurials in the flames. They named it Hope!"

"That's a good name!" Credence said.

"After more than three hundred years of ups and downs, the association now has about 120 members of various kinds distributed throughout Europe, and a very few living in the Americas. The existence of the association has two purposes:

First, to discover Obscurials in advance to avoid losses.

Second, to hope to study the existence of Obscurials and ultimately save them!" Professor McGonagall explained.

"Are you a member of the association?" Credence asked.

"I am not only a member of the association, I am even a senior member. The association is divided into three levels: Committee, Senior, and Hopeful," Professor McGonagall said, "Are you interested in joining now?"

"Why not?" Credence said, "It sounds good. Anyway, I can't find a better solution right now."

"Welcome to join!" Professor McGonagall said happily.