Released this Wednesday, April 13 in our theaters, does “The Secrets of Dumbledore” confirm some of the theories in vogue around the director of Hogwarts played by Jude Law? Find out the answer, with spoilers.
WARNING – The article below contains spoilers for “Fantastic Beasts 3”, as it discusses some of the film’s revelations. Please move on if you haven’t seen it yet.
When the Fantastic Beasts 3 subtitle was revealed, fans jumped. Because they already had a small idea of the Secrets of Dumbledore that the feature film promised to reveal, insofar as several theories circulated about the director of Hogwarts played by Jude Law in front of the camera of David Yates. And they mostly concern his family.
FAITH IN BELIEF
At the end of the previous episode, Grindelwald (then played by Johnny Depp) revealed to Croyance Bellebosse (Ezra Miller) that his real name was actually Aurelius Dumbledore. Which therefore made him the brother of Albus, whose existence was hidden to the point of never being mentioned by JK Rowling in his novels, nor even in the films of the saga whose events take place several decades before the Harry Potter.
It therefore seemed obvious that the sequel would come back to this story, especially with such a title. And that’s the case. With a nuance: yes, Aurelius is indeed a Dumbledore. No, he’s not Albus’ brother but… his nephew, the son Aberforth (Richard Coyle) had abandoned. After making us doubt his relationship with the director of Hogwarts, Fantastic Beasts 3 confirms it and allows him to return to the light, him whom Grindewald had plunged into darkness following this revelation. But that’s not all.
Warner Bros. Pictures Fantastic Beasts 3: The Secrets of (Aurelius) Dumbledore
WHAT HAPPENED TO ARIANA?
Because the film promises to reveal The Secrets of Dumbledore. In the plural. Although confirmed in the very first scene (except in China, where the explicit part of the dialogue was censored), her romantic relationship with Grindelwald wasn’t really one, as JK Rowling had ruled on it herself. The mystery which surrounds the fate of Ariana, deceased sister of Albus, remained on the other hand to clear up. And Fantastic Beasts 3 does. At last.
From the first installment of the spin-off/prequel, many viewers noticed that Credence’s uncontrollable powers resembled those of Ariana, mentioned in the book. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”. And deduces that she was probably also an Obscurial, a name given to wizards and witches who suppress their magical abilities to the point that a parasitic force forms within them.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Ariana Dumbledore
A theory that obviously gained momentum at the end of Crimes of Grindelwald, when it was revealed that Croyance was part of Dumbledore’s family. And which is confirmed today during a dialogue where Albus returns to the powers and the fate of his late sister, whom he himself may have accidentally killed during a confrontation with his brother and his former lover and future enemy. The term “Obscurial” is also mentioned there, to leave no room for doubt.
It is even possible that a flashback was in the program, since photos stolen on the set showed a young actress in the role of Ariana Dumbledore. But these scenes are absent from the final cut, and it is only present thanks to the painting that we saw, for the first time in cinema, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Fantastic Beasts 3, however, specifies that the powers of Credence / Aurelius and Ariana are quite distinct, where another theory suggested that the young man was actually possessed by the Obscurial of the young woman. This in order to explain the appearance of this member of the Dumbledore family which had never been mentioned anywhere, on screen or on paper. But he does belong to the bloodline, and is therefore Albus’ nephew.
This being done, which theory related to the Harry Potter saga do you hope to see confirmed in a potential episode 4?