The events of the Crimes of Grindelwald happened way back in 1927, decades before we got to know a little wizard boy named Harry Potter. But the connection between the Fantastic Beasts sequel and the Harry Potter series runs deep. The wizarding world, though mysterious, isn’t big after all. Here’s a look at the ties that bind them.
Albus Dumbledore
We are more familiar with a Dumbledore (Richard Harris) that’s old and gray, with a long beard and wizened eyes behind glasses, in long robes, sitting at the head of the table as Headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That’s way into the future during the 90s where we follow the journey of a young Harry and his adventures in Hogwarts.
In The Crimes of Grindelwald, Dumbledore is a strapping young man in the form of Jude Law. He works as the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, and Newt Scamander used to be his student. Now he calls upon Newt, who once captured Gellert Grindelwald, to take him down again.
Gellert Grindelwald
Yes, the evil Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), in all his devilish glory in this Fantastic Beasts sequel which carries his namesake, actually appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as a flashback. The flashback was about the Elder Wand. Voldermort (Ralph Fiennes)’s wand was destroyed by Harry and he tortures Ollivander for options and got to know about the Elder Wand, whom Voldermort discovers was in the hands of the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.
Voldermort hunted him down and tortures him into revealing the whereabouts of the Elder Wand and kills him after.
Nagini
There’s much debate on Nagini (Claudia Kim) after it was revealed that Nagini is a human in The Crimes of Grindelwald. This means some time after this sequel and before the events of Harry Potter, she was transformed into snake form permanently and enslaved to Voldermort, being his final Horcrux. No one really knows how she encountered Voldermort, but it’s likely that when they met, she may be still in human form, and can communicate her name to him. As to how she came to be in his possessions, it’s still a mystery. We are still reeling from the fact that Nagini was once a beautiful woman!
Leta, Credence and Bellatrix Lestrange
The Lestrange family is an old, respected name in the Wizarding world and extremely wealthy. They are also related to the Black, Malfoy Tonks and Lupins. One of the reasons why the Lestrange is so well respected is because they are an ancient pure-blood wizarding family. And that makes the name very desirable, so much so that people are eyeing to marry into the family.
One such person is Bellatrix Black (Helena Bonham Carter). She may be born a pure-blood witch, but her family isn’t rich, leaving Bellatrix yearning to marry upwards. It is possible that Leta might be the grandmother-in-law of Bellatrix, whose husband is Rodolphus Lestrange, based on the timeline between the two and the surname connection.
The Mirror of Erised
We first saw the Mirror of Erised, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The mirror is one that shows the user his or her heart’s deepest desire. Harry stumbled onto it when trying to run away from some of the boys. In it, he sees his mother and father, with him, painting a happy family portrait. He then got Ron (Rupert Grint) over to show him his family. But what Ron sees is himself winning the Quidditch Cup.
In The Crimes of Grindelwald, a young Dumbledore, too, looks into the mirror, and what he sees isn’t what anyone would have guessed. He saw his friend, Grindelwald. The pair used to be fast friends, and to see his friend turn into a dark wizard deeply interested in world domination may have broken Dumbledore’s heart. This may have been weighing on his mind. Or was their relationship something more?
Parallels between Newt and Gellert vs Harry and Voldemort
In the Harry Potter series, Harry and Voldermort are somehow connected. They are often playing either a dodging game or a chasing affair. One a good wizard, and the other, the dark lord. The same goes for Fantastic Beasts.
Newt and Grindelwald are destined to cross paths. Newt, who works for the Ministry of Magic, is always on the lookout to keep the world a safe place, while Grindelwald is hell-bent on destruction. This similarity between the two series lay the foundation to the stories that have gripped us for years!
