Credence Barebone

"I want to know who I am."

- Credence's desire to know his true identity

Credence Barebone (born c. 1901 ) was an American wizard who lived during the 20th century. He was adopted by Mary Lou Barebone, the leader of a No-Maj anti-witchcraft group called the New Salem Philanthropic Society. Due to the repression of his magic, Credence developed a parasitical force known as an Obscurus and became an Obscurial. While most Obscurials die before their tenth birthday, Credence lived into adulthood, which was previously unheard of in the wizarding world and a testament of his incredible power.

Credence was sought after by Gellert Grindelwald, who wanted to use his power to kill Albus Dumbledore. While in search of his true identity, Credence heeded Grindelwald's call and joined his army. Grindelwald then revealed Credence's alleged true name: Aurelius Dumbledore.

Early life
"I am not your ma! Your mother was a wicked, unnatural woman!"

- Mary Lou's opinion regarding Credence's birth mother

Born c. 1901 to the Dumbledore family as Aurelius, he was switched in the crib by a young Leta Lestrange for her half-brother Corvus during a voyage to America in 1901. When the ship sank during a storm, the life boat with Corvus capsized, drowning him and Aurelius' aunt. Aurelius was taken to America and put up for adoption in Corvus' place, unbeknownst to anyone but Leta. On 21 October 1905, he was adopted by Mary Lou Barebone, an American No-Maj woman who led the New Salem Philanthropic Society, a hardline anti-witchcraft group. She renamed him Credence Barebone, raising him in New York alongside her two other adopted children, Chastity and Modesty. Credence was the eldest of the three.

Whilst under Mary Lou's care, Credence was physically and mentally abused by her who attempted to suppress his magical abilities. She often used his own belt that left marks on his hands. The frequent abuse would cause him to become an Obscurial. Mary Lou considered Credence's birth mother to be a "wicked, unnatural woman", suggesting that she was aware of his heritage.

1926–1927
During one meeting, Mary Lou was physically abusing Credence but was magically assaulted by Auror Porpentina Goldstein. The open use of magic in front of a group of Muggles required extensive Obliviation and was a major scandal resulting in Porpentina's demotion to the Wand Permit Office. Credence found himself dreaming of the woman who had saved him from his mother's wrath frequently after this event.

Obscurus Manifestation
"My vision showed only the child's immense power. He or she is no older than ten, and I saw this child in close proximity to your mother. She I saw so plainly."

- Gellert Grindelwald explaining his vision to Credence By December 1926, Credence was losing control of his Obscurus, and it manifested in outbursts that were wreaking havoc in New York. These disturbances were noted both in the Muggle press such as the "New-York Clarion" and the wizarding press such as "The New York Ghost".

During this time, he was contacted by Gellert Grindelwald, in the disguise of Percival Graves who asked him to help find the obscurial child in the Second Salem Church. He believed Credence to be connected to the Obscurial he was trying to locate due to a vision he had and he promised Credence that he would take him away from Mary Lou and teach him magic, but Credence later found out that he had never had any intention of doing so. Credence attended to one of his adoptive mother's Second Salemer meetings by Steen National Bank in New York and gave out leaflets. Mary Lou briefly spoke to Newton Scamander until he was interrupted by his Niffler that had escaped when a No-Maj named Jacob Kowalski accidentally stumbled over the magical suitcase of the wizard.

Soon after the event at the bank, Credence began to study the orphans who came to eat during the Second Salemer's meeting at the church. A boy with a birthmark said he thought it to be a witch's mark until Mary Lou told the boy that it was not. After a failed attempt by the Second Salemers to garner the support of Henry Shaw Senior and being insulted by his son the senator, Credence’s Obscurus manifested later that night and attacked a fund-raising dinner at City Hall, killing the senator as a result. This act unwittingly exposed the wizarding world.

Before the attack, Credence was given a beating from Mary Lou for returning home late from handing out leaflets. In fact, he had a meeting with Grindelwald (disguised as Graves) discussing the Obscurial child.

The next day after the attack, Grindelwald still disguised as Graves, gave Credence a necklace with the symbol of the Deathly Hallows on it, so he could contact him if he ever found the child. That same day, Credence found a toy wand in Modesty's room. As Credence was about to confront Modesty, Mary Lou enters the scene and immediately concluded that the wand belonged to Credence, despite Modesy claiming it to be hers. As she prepared to beat him yet again, the belt was magically ripped from Mary Lou's grasp followed by Credence's Obscurus bursting free a few seconds thereafter. The dark force Kills Mary Lou and also Chastity in progress, causing heavy damage to the house.

Obscurial attack in New York
Still in the form of Graves, Grindelwald arrived at the remains of the Second Salem Church and demanded Credence to take him to Modesty, who had fled the destruction to her old childhood home. Grindewald believed Modesty to be the source of the Obscurus and not Credence, as Obscurials don't survive past age ten. Once there, Grindelwald told Credence that he had no further use for him. This betrayal caused Credence to reveal his Obscurus, to the surprise of Grindelwald. Although Grindelwald attempted to apologise and offered to train him, Credence willingly let loose, transformed completely into an Obscurus and went on a mindless rampage of destruction through New York knocking down buildings and overturning cars. Seeing the attack unfold, Grindelwald followed Credence in an attempt to convince him to join his ranks, but this further angered Credence who knocks him down to the ground. Tina, who's watching the whole scene with Newton Scamander, appears to confront Grindelwald and the two ended up in a fight, causing the Obscurus to flee.

Apparent death
"We see Credence from within the black mass, his face contorted, screaming. The barrage of spells continues and Credence howls in pain... Under this pressure, the Obscurus finally seems to implode — a white ball of magical light taking over from the black mass... All power subsides. Only small pieces of black matter are left — floating through the air like feathers."

- Credence supposedly dies at the hands of MACUSA Aurors

Pursuing him to the subway station, Newt managed to calm Credence down only to engage in a battle with the treacherous dark wizard. Provoked by the fight, Credence resumed his Obscurial form, though Tina managed to get him to stop once more. Seraphina Picquery and Aurors from MACUSA arrived at the scene and proceeded to attack him with many spells, only stopping when they believed he was destroyed. However, a single shred of his Obscurus form fled the scene, unseen to anyone but Newt.

This attack resulted in Grindelwald's capture and the believed destruction of Credence. Ultimately, thousands of No-Majs were obliviated in order to protect wizarding secrecy.

Travelling to Paris
Credence, in reality, survived and travelled to Paris, where he joined the Circus Arcanus, a travelling wizarding circus owned by the cruel ringmaster, Skender. There, Credence befriended a maledictus named Nagini, with whom he seemed to have a close relationship.

The escaped dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald also journeyed to Paris in search for Credence, in order to utilize his abilities to kill Albus Dumbledore.

Rumors surrounding Credence's identity began to circulate. Yusuf Kama believed he was Corvus Lestrange V, the son of Corvus Lestrange IV who Imperiused Kama's mother into marriage. Kama had made an Unbreakable Vow on his father 's deathbed to kill what Corvus IV loved most, which he believed to be Corvus V.

Having had enough with their mistreatment, Credence and Nagini plotted their escape from the Circus Arcanus, where both Kama and Tina Goldstein had located him. Credence managed their getaway by releasing several of the beasts and fleeing in the ensuing chaos.

Following this, Credence found Irma Dugard, whom he believed to be his mother, as her name was on his adoption papers. Dugard revealed that she did not want to give him up, and noted that she was merely a servant to the Lestrange household. After a brief moment of tenderness, Grimmson the bounty hunter murdered the half-elf woman, on orders of Grindelwald to keep Credence's identity a secret from him. The Obscurus manifested and Credence attempted to kill Grimmson, but failed to do so.

Grindelwald himself later offered Credence a chance to find out his true parentage, and gave him a map to the cemetery of Pere Lachaise. At the Lestrange Family Tomb, Credence and Nagini crossed paths with Kama; they were joined by Newt, Tina, Jacob, and Leta Lestrange, Kama's half-sister. Kama prepared to kill Credence, but Leta insisted that he was not her half-brother, as the real Corvus Lestrange died. Leta recounted her father sending her and her brother to America on a ship. Wanting to relieve herself of her screaming brother, Leta swapped him with another baby on the ship, that baby being Credence. The ship sank before Leta could switch the babies back, and the real Corvus Lestrange drowned.

Credence then attended Grindelwald's rally, which ended in the Aurors storming against the host. Grindelwald created a circle of blue flames, an enchantment designed to test the loyalty of his followers: those who enter with complete fidelity shall survive; those who do not, perish. Against Nagini's insistence, Credence entered the circle and joined Grindelwald, trusting that he had knowledge of his true identity.

Sometime later, at Nurmengard Castle in Austria, Grindelwald reveals to Credence that the baby bird he has been caring for is actually a phoenix. According to legend, a phoenix will appear to anyone of a certain wizarding family in dire need. Grindelwald then presents him with a wand, as well as his birth name: Aurelius Dumbledore.

Physical description
He has black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. Credence Barebone often appeared to be troubled, nervous, or embarrassed. He tends to stand with his head bowed.

Personality and traits
He was described as "troubled" and "mysterious". Shy and withdrawn, this made him far more vulnerable to the abuse that came in response to the slightest infraction of his adoptive mother's strict rules. His timid personality also made him susceptible to manipulation by Gellert Grindelwald, who took a personal interest in him.

However, when he was insulted or threatened his Obscurus form was unleashed. His Obscurus form was triggered by his negative emotions and experiences and acted violently because of it. This caused widespread destruction and death to those who provoked him. Namely, he attacked Mary Lou Barebone because of the abuse the latter inflicted on him for so long and Henry Shaw Junior for the way he mocked him.

Magical abilities and skills

 * High Magic Capability: While Credence never developed his magical abilities initially, his ability to survive for so long, despite being an Obscurial, indicated that Credence had an immense amount of latent magical power. After being given a wand for the first time, Credence instinctively cast a spell, which was so powerful, that it pulverized a nearby mountainside.
 * Obscurus Transformation: Credence was an Obscurial, prone to unleashing or embodying an Obscurus due to years of being forced to suppress his magic. He was immensely more powerful than other known Obscurials, living longer than any previously known, since it took roughly twenty MACUSA Aurors to defeat and seemingly kill Credence, though the latter managed to survive. Gellert Grindelwald went so far as to claim that Credence's Obscurus was powerful enough to kill Albus Dumbledore.

Possessions

 * Wand: After joining Grindelwald's army, Credence was given a wand by his new master.
 * Phoenix: At Nurmengard, this baby Phoenix approached Credence (now revealed to be Aurelius Dumbledore), fulfilling the Dumbledore family story of a Phoenix coming to any Dumbledore who is in desperate need.

Irma Dugard
Credence's adoptive mother Mary Lou Barebone did never attempt to teach Credence about his true magical heritage, as she seems to know that his biological mother was, in-fact a witch. Credence doesn't remember and had never known his biological mother or biological father, as he was adopted at a very young age. Mary Lou tells Credence that his birth mother was a "wicked, unnatural woman." suggesting she had known her and implying that he may share the same qualities.

Unknown to Barebone, the woman she believed to be Credence's mother was in fact the Half-elf servant of the Lestrange family, Irma Dugard. Dugard unknowingly ended up with Aurelius after the young Leta Lestrange switched him with her baby brother Corvus Lestrange.

Mary Lou Barebone
"As if on autopilot, Credence removes his belt. Mary Lou stands and extends her hand, taking the belt. In silence, she turns and walks up the stairs—Credence obediently following."

- Mary Lou punishes Credence for coming home late

Credence feared his adoptive mother due to years of emotional and physical abuse. She beat him with the intent of teaching him to suppress and be ashamed of his magical traits. By suppressing his magic, he developed an Obscurus. It was noted by Tina Goldstein that out of all Mary Lou's adopted children, Credence was the most hated.

Credence learned over the years to willingly surrender his belt for a beating when he knew he did something wrong. He tended to be passive when it came to the beatings and he learned to take them submissively. Despite living in an environment where magic was shunned, Credence was drawn toward the ideas of wizardry and even entertained the thought of becoming part of the wizarding world. Mary Lou seemed to be aware of Credence's interest in magic and did not hesitate to beat him for it. When Mary Lou was about to attack Credence, he transformed into his Obscurus form and killed her.

Modesty Barebone
"Behind Credence, Modesty’s eyes burn. She clutches Credence’s hand protectively."

- Modesty took Credence's hand after he was insulted by Senator Shaw

Modesty was kind to her older foster brother and he was close to her as a result. One of the reasons Credence shared a close relationship with Modesty, was because she did not possess the same zealous attitude Chastity did in regards to their adoptive mother's anti-witchcraft stance.

Modesty was young and curious, she shared Credence's secret interest in magic. Because of this shared interest, they trusted each other. When Henry Shaw Junior meanly insulted Credence (calling him a freak), she took his hand to reassure him. Modesty often witnessed the beatings he got from their mother and attempted to comfort him.

Modesty occasionally confided in Credence that she missed the nine brothers and sisters she had before she was adopted. When Credence found the toy wand under Modesty's bed, Mary Lou believed it to be his and beat him, despite Modesty's attempt at convincing her it was hers. This shows that she defended him when he was about to be whipped by their foster mother. After the Obscurus took control of Credence and killed their adopted family, she became fearful of him.

Gellert Grindelwald
"You’re a Squib, Credence. I could smell it off you the minute I met you... You have magical ancestry, but no power... You’re unteachable. Your mother’s dead. That’s your reward. I’m done with you."

- Gellert Grindelwald coldly dismisses Credence



Grindelwald disguised himself as Percival Graves and used Credence to try and locate the Obscurial, whom he believed was Modesty Barebone, promising him entrance into the wizarding world and training to perform magic. To Credence, Grindelwald was his only friend and the only person who truly understood and supported him. He healed his hands and comforted him when he confided in him about his mother's mistreatment.

After the Obscurus attacked Mary Lou, Grindelwald told Credence he had no use for him, calling him a Squib, and pursued Modesty. Because of the emotional strain, Credence lost control over the Obscurus and, after Grindelwald realised it was him, offered his partnership and training in wizardry. Credence was deeply hurt by his manipulation and fled. MACUSA's Aurors chased and attacked him, and when Newt and Tina attempted to calm him and protect him, Grindelwald interrupted them to provoke Credence to cause more destruction in the hopes of achieving a war between magical and non-magical people.

Etymology
Credence is derived from the Latin credere, meaning to trust and to believe, and from credentia, meaning belief. Barebone is an Anglo-Saxon surname, thought to be taken from the name of an English village, Barbon or Barbourne.

On the other hand, Credence's birth name Aurelius is derived from Latin aureus, meaning golden and gilded. was a 2nd-century philosophical writer and Roman emperor. Aurelius was too the name of several early saints, such as.

Behind the scenes

 * Credence is portrayed by Ezra Miller in and 🇨🇬.
 * Initial reports said this character's name was "Kredan". When asked about it via Twitter, J. K. Rowling said, "Kredan is quite literally nobody. They got the name wrong!"
 * Credence reportedly becomes a "notable" character within the Harry Potter universe.
 * Though Credence is said to be Albus' "brother" by Grindelwald, it is notable that the timeline doesn't fit. Percival Dumbledore died in Azkaban after his imprisonment and Kendra Dumbledore died in 1899, some 2 years before his birth (if referring to the screenplay) 5-6 years before his birth (if going by the adoption certificate).
 * It is possible, however, that Grindelwald meant the word as "kinsman", and that Aurelius is a close relative of Albus, possibly the son of Albus' aunt Honoria, though if speaking more euphemistically "cousin" would be both accurate and more generally applicable.

Notes and references
Credence Barebone Croyance Bellebosse クリーデンス・ベアボーン Credence Barebone pt-br:Credence Barebone Криденс Бэрбоун 克莱登斯·巴瑞波恩