obscurial

An obscurial is a human host who harbors an Obscurus, a dark, parasitic magical force formed when a wizard or witch represses their power. The Obscurus typically develops in children or adolescents whose magic is severely restricted or persecuted, causing latent energy to coalesce into a separate, uncontrollable entity that feeds on the host’s life force and emotions. The term refers to the person who carries this entity, rather than to the energy itself.

The Obscurus arises from sustained suppression of magic and is highly unstable and dangerous, capable of influencing or erupting from its host with little warning. In some depictions it can manifest as a black, shifting cloud or plume; in all cases its presence drains the host and can lead to catastrophic injury or death as the energy seeks expression.

An obscurial’s survival is precarious; most cases end in eruption of the Obscurus or the death of the host. The phenomenon is feared by magical communities and studied by magizoologists and historians for clues about the suppression of magical talent.

Notable case: In the Fantastic Beasts film series, Credence Barebone is revealed to be an obscurial, with his Obscurus acting as a powerful, destructive force that is central to the narrative of The Crimes of Grindelwald.

The term obscurial derives from obscurus, Latin for dark.