Although Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets takes place almost sixty years before the events of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s StoneThere are still characters in both Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter related to each other. Now that there are eleven films in the Wizarding World saga, the franchise’s on-screen timeline is filled with rich stories, complex characters, and a well-established canon. In many cases, these fully flesh out the past, present, and future of the Wizarding World, effectively linking the two timelines.
With the launch of Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secretsthe Fantastic Beasts franchise now has trilogies of Harry Potter previous characters. This established a more cohesive Wizarding World filled with new context that helps make the Harry Potter even richer franchise. This includes its ever-growing character base, some of whom share surprising connections. Unfortunately, Fantastic Beasts 4 It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, but here are all the characters related to each other in both Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts.
Bathilda Bagshot and Gellert Grindelwald
Fantastic Beasts’ great-aunt villain appears in Deathly Hallows
Bathilda Bagshot was relatively smaller Harry Potter character, even though she was related to an incredibly important character from Fantastic Beasts. Bagshot is the author of A story of magic, one of several key Hogwarts books mentioned in the Harry Potter franchise (another being, of course, Newt Scamander’s own book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them). She appears in the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Her appearance is tragic, as she is actually a corpse animated by Voldemort to set a trap for Harry.
This is a relatively small connection, but it shows how interconnected the characters in Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts they really are.
Being part of the Dark Lords’ plans isn’t the only connection Bagshot shares with a dark wizard. The Wizarding World is small and many characters that appear are distant relatives. This is the case of Bathilda Bagshot and the antagonist of Fantastic Beasts franchise, Gellert Grindelwald. Grindelwald, the most feared dark wizard outside of Voldemort himself, is Bathilda Bagshot’s great-nephew. This is a relatively small connection, but it shows how interconnected the characters in Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts they really are.
Anthony Goldstein and the Goldstein Sisters
Tina and Queenie have a distant relative in Harry’s year at Hogwarts
The Goldstein sisters, Tina and Queenie Goldstein, were two of the best characters introduced to the franchise in the Fantastic Beasts prequels. However, despite being American wizards with apparently no connection to Hogwarts, at least one of their relatives had already appeared in Hogwarts. Harry Potter books, albeit in a “blink and you’ll miss it” capacity.
Anthony Goldstein is Ravenclaw who started Hogwarts in the same year as Harry, Ron and Hermione in 1991. JK Rowling confirmed through a tweet that Anthony is in fact a distant relative of Queenie and Tina of Fantastic Beasts. Anthony doesn’t appear much in Harry Potter, with his first named appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He later joins Dumbledore’s Army.
Aberforth Dumbledore and Aurelius Dumbledore
Dumbledore’s nephew is an important character in Fantastic Beasts
In Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secretsit is revealed that Aberforth Dumbledore (Richard Coyle), the younger brother of Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law)He had a son with a woman from Godric’s Hallow. This son turns out to be one of the Fantastic Beasts characters, Credence Barebone, born Aurelius Dumbledore, son of Aberforth and nephew of Albus. Although not much is known about Aurelius’ mother, Albus tells Newt Scamander that she was “sent away“assuming she took baby Aurélio with her.
Because the two brothers were emotionally distant, Aberforth does not tell anyone that he is the father of a long-lost son. Albus realizes the relationship between Credence and Aberforth when Credence’s phoenix ashes fall on his jacket, while Aberforth communicates with his son through the mirror in the Hog’s Head. Aberforth is reunited with his son after the confrontation with Grindelwald. During Fantastic Beasts 3‘ emotional climax, Aurelius asks Aberforth if he has ever thought about his son, to which he responds with Severus Snape’s infamous line “Always.”
Bellatrix Lestrange and Leta Lestrange
Bellatrix married into Leta’s family
While it’s safe to assume that Bellatrix (Helena Bonham Carter) and Leta (Zoë Kravitz) are related due to their shared last nameThe Lestrange family tree is much more complicated than it initially appears. Although Bellatrix was originally born into the Black family, she ended up marrying Rodolphus Lestrange, with the couple’s potential blood relationship getting in the way of the work. Rodolphus’s ancestor, Radolphus Lestrange, served as Minister for Magic from 1835 to 1841.
In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of GrindelwaldCorvus Lestrange IV (Keith Chanter) is introduced, residing in France during the 1920s and dying shortly after sending his daughter Leta and son Corvus away from the country – meaning there is a disconnect in the Lestrange family tree between the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films.
There is another possible version of the Lestrange lineage in the lineage of Cyrille Lestrange I, with Cyrille and his brother, Corvus I, being the great-great-grandfather of Leta Lestrange.
There is another possible version of the Lestrange lineage in the lineage of Cyrille Lestrange I, with Cyrille and his brother, Corvus I, being the great-great-grandfather of Leta Lestrange. Cyrille’s lineage ended with Nozéa Lestrange in 1927, who was unmarried and childless. Rodolphus may have descended from this Lestrange line, but he does not appear in the Lestrange family tree seen in The Crimes of Grindelwald (even though he served as Minister for Magic in the mid-1800s).
The family tree seen in the film sequence spans from 1700 to 1900, so in theory Rodolphus should appear, although he may have been removed as a blood traitor since he became Minister for Magic (like Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter), just as Sirius Black was from his family tree in the original Harry Potter timeline. Although there is still no canonical relationship between Leta, Bellatrix and Rodolphus at the moment, Lestrange remains a very familiar surname in the Wizarding World and can still be explored in the fourth installment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
Various characters from Harry Potter and Leta Lestrange
The Bellatrix connection links Leta to several characters in the magical world
Being related to Bellatrix Lestrange also means that Leta is, however remotely, related to several others. Harry Potter characters too. In fact, it’s safe to say that Leta is the most connected to the characters in Harry Potter of all those introduced into Fantastic Beasts due to this single connection. Bellatrix is ​​related, whether by blood or merit, to her marriage to Rudolphusfor many others Harry Potter characters, which means, by extension, Leta Lestrange as well.
Harry Potter character |
Relationship with Bella Lestrange |
---|---|
Narcissa Malfoy |
Sister |
Draco Malfoy |
Nephew |
Black Sirius |
Cousin |
Nymphadora Tonks |
Niece |
Vicente Crabbe |
Distant paternal relative |
Nagini (the cursed child) |
Daughter |
While many of these connections are incredibly distant when it comes to Leta Lestrange, this means she would appear in their family trees. Like several moments in the Harry Potter books and films have proven that the wizarding world – especially when it comes to pure-blood families – takes their family trees incredibly seriously. By marrying Rudolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix ensured that the Fantastic Beasts character would appear somewhere in the family trees of several wizarding families, including the Malfoys, Blacks and Crabbes.
Lord Voldemort and Nagini
Voldemort and Nagini share an inexplicable connection
In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of GrindelwaldNagini (Claudia Kim) is reintroduced as a woman held captive in the Circus Arcanus by its master of ceremonies, Skender (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson). She eventually leaves this twisted circus to help her friend, Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), find his family.
It is later revealed that Nagini is a Maledictus, whose blood curse will permanently transform her into a snake. Nagini is not there Fantastic Beasts 3So your future in Fantastic Beasts franchise is uncertain. Her portrayal in the films is as a kind and loyal friend who refutes Gellert Grindewald’s influence on Credence, begging him to stay with her instead of joining the dark wizard.
This doesn’t necessarily line up with her eventual relationship with Lord Voldemort, so it deserves further explanation. It is apparent that she eventually succumbs to the curse and joins Voldemort in his quest for power, becoming his loyal servant and eventual Horcrux. However, exactly how Nagini ends up refuting one dark wizard in favor of another is left unexplained at the end of the third. Fantastic Beasts Prohibited.
The connection that Voldemort and Nagini share is unbreakable. The two share a deeply personal bond. Voldemort possesses her to attack Arthur Weasley at the Ministry of Magic, and it is Nagini’s poison that helps keep Voldemort alive. If the other two Fantastic Beasts films have green light, Nagini’s story could be a crucial plot point in the future.
Luna Lovegood and Newt Scamander
Luna becomes Newt’s granddaughter
Before the release of the first film Fantastic Beasts and where to find themNewt Scamander was known simply as the author of the book of the same name, which was recommended reading for Hogwarts students in their first year of school. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) buy their copies of Newt’s book at Flourish & Blotts, and the character is no longer mentioned.
However, JK Rowling mentions the surname Scamander once again after the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows after Rowling confirmed what happened to Luna Lovegood after Harry Potter. Rowling states that Luna ends up marrying Rolf Scamander, grandson of Newt and Porpentina Scamander (née Goldstein). Rolf followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and became a magizoologist, eventually falling in love with Luna. This makes Luna Lovegood the great-granddaughter of Newt and Tina Scamander, further cementing another prestigious family lineage in the Harry Potter canon.
Quentin Kowalski, Queenie Goldstein and Jacob Kowalski
An American Quidditch player may be related to the Fantastic Beasts characters
Quentin Kowalski was an American wizard who played as Chaser on the 2014 US National Quidditch team, written by Ginny Potter in an issue of the Daily Prophet. He may share a relationship with Queenie (Alison Sudol) and Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), as the three share the same last name. At the end of Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s SecretsJacob and Queenie marry despite their marriage violating Rappaport’s Law previously established in the first Fantastic Beasts.
While it’s not established whether Jacob and Queenie have children, it’s an easy assumption to make given that the two share a lot of love for each other and the world around them. Although not yet confirmed, Quentin Kowalski may indeed be part of the Queenie and Jacob finale after all Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets coda.
A Fantastic Beasts character may link the families of Voldemort, Snape and Dumbledore
There are several connections that are theorized
There is one of Fantastic Beasts characters that could link several prominent wizards families together: Credence Barebone. Since no one knows anything about Credence’s mother, rumors and theories have arisen about who the woman could be and who she was related to. The public knows that the Dumbledores grew up in Godric’s Hollow, the same neighborhood the Potters lived in, and a popular wizarding neighborhood in general.
It is declared in Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets that Aberforth met a “village” girl. This means that Credence’s mother also comes from magical lineage. Since Rowling is bringing back many Harry Potter surnames for Fantastic Beasts franchise, Credence may be related to some like Merope Gaunt (Tom Riddle/Voldemort’s mother) or Severus Snape, who also share ties to that time/place in the canon.
As nothing is known about Credence’s mother except that she was a witch from Godric’s Hollow, many of the assumptions about her ancestry boil down to the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts timelines and narrative links. Many parallels, for example, have been made between Snape and Credence since Fantastic Beasts 3 gave him a Snape-like transformation.
Snape’s surname was taken from his Muggle father, Tobias Snape, while his magical lineage comes from his maternal side, Eileen Prince. It is possible that Credence’s mother was a prince, given the striking resemblance that Snape bore to his mother and Credence to Severus.
The other major theory floating around is that Credence is related to the Gaunt family, also known as Voldemort’s magical bloodline. Credence’s mother would also have been Merope’s mother, as Merope was born 7 years after him. Nothing is really known about his mother, but it is unlikely to be done Fantastic Beasts 4 or 5 it could be set around the time Tom Riddle was entering Hogwarts.
This means that the Voldemort/Dumbledore relationship could be explored in future films – if they happen. Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets thankfully avoided breaking canon by becoming Credence Aberforth’s son, but that doesn’t mean JK Rowling could be pursuing another connection in the unlikely upcoming episodes.
Harry Potter’s Connections to Fantastic Beasts Hurt the Franchise
Some felt connections became too complicated
With Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets will likely be the last installment of the franchises overallAnd, there’s no better time to explore exactly where the series went wrong – and this reasoning could be in your Harry Potter connections.
While it’s a pleasure to see familiar names and faces popping up from Fantastic Beasts‘ predecessor, some of them resulted in breakage Harry Potter canon. For starters, there was Minerva McGonagall. The much younger Transfiguration professor first appeared in The Crimes of Grindelwaldand given that she already had a clearly defined backstory as written by Rowling, her presence blatantly broke the canon.
Dumbledore was also an important thread that connected Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potterand while his presence would have been necessary if Grindelwald was the villain, his character essentially hijacked the series from Newt, with the title of the third film all but confirming this. If he had been introduced earlier in the prequels, it might not have been such a big deal, but it still became a problem.
Finally, Nagini’s character was one of the most disturbing aspects of The Crimes of Grindelwald. This is strange Harry Potter The twist of turning Voldemort’s most precious companion into a human woman with a blood curse, and also a friend of Credence, seemed like a reach. Other connections like the Lestrange family were very confusing in their subplots, making the connective tissue between Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter appear artificial. Although these points were not entirely responsible for the tank Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secretsthey didn’t do the moribund franchise any favors.
How important are these connections?
Most of these connections are not important
When it comes to the details of the story unfolding in Fantastic Beasts movies, most family connections are not important. The connections between Leta Lestrange and so many characters, for example, simply show how small the magical community can really be, but they don’t influence the story and only seem to complicate the connections. The same goes for the revelation that the Goldstein sisters are potentially related to Anthony Goldstein, a character who has virtually no plot in the Harry Potter films and books.
The most interesting connections are those that aren’t explored in the films, like the one between Nagini and Voldemort. This makes his story even more confusing and seemingly hurts the character now, but there was probably also a story arc planned to explain his abandonment of one dark wizard to embrace another a few decades later. With the likely cancellation of more Fantastic Beasts stories, it seems like her story can’t be told unless it’s told in another medium.
It would also be worth exploring Credence’s family connections to the Wizarding World outside of Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore is a central figure in Harry’s story and he makes the world seem very small. Knowing more about Credence’s other relatives would have broadened it.
Seeing connections with Harry Potter characters from Fantastic Beasts movies like Easter eggs would have been more than enough to intrigue fans without giving them importance, but the missed opportunities are there.