As we know from J.K. Rowling’s never-ending Hogwarts tweets, the Harry Potter universe continuously grows and expands. In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, we were introduced to new characters, terminology, and elements of the magical world.
The concept of Obscurials spurred theories about the Dumbledore family and raised questions about Harry Potter himself. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald didn’t give us any answers either, and just made things more confusing by calling Credence a Dumbledore? Okay... Based on what we know so far, here are 10 facts to help you understand them.
Obscurus Vs. Obscurial
Pottermore remains oddly silent concerning any facts about Obscurials. We have more canonical knowledge on Puffskeins than we do Obscurials, and Obscurials are way more important to the plot! You might see the term Obscurial being interchanged with Obscurus, and that makes an already confusing addition even more confusing.
To clear it up, the Obscurus is like a parasite. It’s the repressed magical energy inside of a young witch or wizard. The Obscurial is the host, the witch or wizard in question. So Credence is an Obscurial. His repressed magic is the Obscurus. It doesn’t help that canon uses these terms pretty interchangeably.
Separating The Obscurus From The Obscurial
Newt Scamander mentions a Sudanese girl he met who developed into an Obscurial. Typically, when the Obscurial dies, the Obscurus goes with it. In his efforts to save the girl, Newt did successfully separate the Obscurus from the Obscurial. His theory was that by removing the parasite, he could potentially save the host.
Unfortunately, this didn’t work. But the Obscurus exists in Newt’s trunk, surrounded by some sort of bubble charm.
How The Obscurial Forms
Obscurials are very young witches or wizards who have been forced to repress their magic through abusive situations and in turn, develop a dark magical force (the Obscurus). Their powers are highly destructive and pose a danger to everyone around them.
In every case, the witch or wizard needs to consciously try to suppress their magic. In Credence’s case, he grew up in a physically and psychologically abusive household that condemned any and all witchcraft. The Sudanese girl had her entire village turn on her as soon as she exhibited any magical abilities.
What The Obscurial Does
In the end, the Obscurial is just trying to protect itself. When an Obscurial loses control of their Obscurus, the Obscurus tends to attack those who hurt them. Loss of control is usually triggered by an extreme negative emotional response. Credence’s Obscurus went after Senator Henry Shaw Jr. after he insulted Credence. Moral of the story? Be a nice person.
When released, the Obscurus is a massive force of destruction. It’s somewhat invisible, usually described as a dark wind. An Obscurial can control the Obscurus to an extent, but in cases where they lose complete control, the Obscurial transforms into the Obscurus.
History Of The Obscurial
Prior to the 1920s, and onwards through the rest of the Harry Potter series, Obscurials were way more common. Due to being hunted by Muggles, children were forced to repress their magical abilities out of fear. Once the separation between the Muggles and the wizard world took affect, the number of Obscurials dropped.
In America, MACUSA President Seraphina Picquery believed them to be non-existent. According to the International Confederation in Fantastic Beasts, the United States hadn’t documented an Obscurus in over 200 years.
Known Obscurials
So far, the only canon obscurials are the Sudanese girl and Credence. But Credence is a special case. We all saw the MACUSA attack him in the subway, but he was mostly in Obscurus form.
Being a newer concept, we’re not going to find any confirmation in the Harry Potter books about other Obscurials. However, Newt’s book was published by Obscurus Books! Apparently, they’re located in Diagon Alley and the only noteworthy book they’ve published was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Go figure.
Can You Control An Obscurial Or Obscurus?
Grindelwald seems to think he can. In theory, with Grindelwald playing his cards right in The Crimes of Grindelwald, Obscurials are still people and people can be manipulated.
By the time Credence gets to Paris, it seems like he’s in control of his Obscurus after he embraces his magical side. He unleashes it on Gunnar Grimmson after he kills Irma Dugard. After that, Grindelwald does successfully get Credence on his side, with the help of Queenie’s Legilimency skills. He’s swayed by the promise of identity and belonging.
Why Did Credence Survive?
Typically, Obscurials die before their tenth birthday. Weird considering that Hogwarts students don’t get their letters until they turn 11 (and that Muggle-borns have to wait for that confirmation), but whatever. We’ll take that chance?
Credence is noted to be extremely and unusually powerful. Because of his abilities, he survived past his tenth birthday. Also, Obscurials can’t die when in Obscurus form, as Credence was when MACUSA officials attacked.
Why Wasn’t Harry Potter An Obscurial?
J.K. Rowling addressed this question on her official FAQ website for all things Harry Potter. After learning that Obscurials form from abuse, everyone jumped on Harry’s emotional abuse and neglect at the hands of the Dursleys.
Rowling explained that the reason why Harry doesn’t become an Obscurial is that the Dursleys were too afraid of magic to acknowledge it and never taught him about it. Harry didn’t know all the weird things happening around him were due to his magical abilities, and so never made the effort to suppress something he didn’t think existed. Maybe ignorance is bliss?
What Happened To Ariana Dumbledore?
Ariana Dumbledore’s reveal in the books and movies was a huge head scratcher. The reveal of Dumbledore’s family history was just supposed to add another layer on Dumbledore’s character. As Harry grew up, so did his image of Dumbledore. Instead of being the wise caretaker figure from before, he becomes more human with every flaw we learn about.
Ariana was killed in a duel between Albus, Aberforth, and Grindelwald, with Aberforth blaming Albus for her death. However, Aberforth also mentions that Ariana had some sort of magical illness. When she was six, Ariana was attacked by Muggle boys when they caught her practicing magic. Traumatized so badly by the event, Ariana lost control of her abilities. Sound familiar? We don’t have official confirmation for Ariana being an Obscurial, but J.K. Rowling has been suspiciously silent on the theory.