Wait Aurelius Dumbledore Who Is That
At the end of Crimes of Grindelwald Gellert Grindelwald has fled Paris to Nurmengard in Austria.
The name Nurmengard might sound familiar. Its a Wizarding prison built by Grindelwald to house his adversaries. We first learn about the prison in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when Grindelwald himself is, fittingly, held captive at the prison .
Crimes of Grindelwald
So: Grindelwald flees Paris and arrives at Nurmengard with Credence Barebone , the Obscurus from the first Fantastic Beasts film. Barebone, pained and desperate to know his true identity, accompanies Grindelwald to seek the truth. Grindelwald reveals that Credence Barebone is Aurelius Dumbledore.
He’s Only A Half Sibling Of Albus
Considering that Aurelius was born in 1901, his Dumbledore heritage kind of messes up the timeline of his birth. If he really is Albus Dumbledore’s brother, he can only be his half brother. Albus’s mother, Kendra Dumbledore, notably passed away in the summer of 1899 after an outburst from her daughter Ariana.
At this time, Albus’ only living parent was Percival Dumbledore, who was sentenced to life in Azkaban in 1890. While it was first believed that Percival lived out the rest of his life in Azkaban, it now seems possible that he escaped at some point around 1900, in which time he met Aurelius’s biological mother. Hopefully, the details of this will be revealed later down the road, but for now, it’s safe to say that Kendra Dumbledore is definitely not Aurelius’s mother.
He May Have Been Romantically Involved With Nagini
The relationship between Credence and Nagini in The Crimes of Grindelwald was incredibly vague, with Nagini actually feeling out of place in the movie. However, brief subtext implied that these two characters may have been romantically involved during the time between the two Fantastic Beasts movies.
Shortly before Credence and Nagini escaped the circus, they were shown being physically close to each other before Skender, the circus’s owner, split them up, getting angry at Credence for trying to talk to Nagini “again.” This brief scene implied that this was not the first time that Nagini and Credence had been caught together. Perhaps future Fantastic Beasts movies will go a little more in-depth with the forbidden romance between these two characters.
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Albus Aberforth Ariana And Aurelius Dumbledore
Firstly, a bit of Dumbledore family history. We know that Dumbledore is one of three siblings: his brother Aberforth is the owner and barman of the Hogs Head pub in Hogsmeade Village, and his sister Ariana was killed accidentally after being hit by a curse during a duel between the Dumbledore brothers and a young Grindelwald.
Dumbledores parents were Percival and Kendra Dumbledore. When Ariana was 6, she was attacked by a group of Muggles who saw her performing magic. She was traumatised by the incident and no longer able to control her magical abilities. Percival Dumbledore attacked the Muggles responsible and was sent to Azkaban prison where he spent the remainder of his life and died.
8 years later, Arianas repressed magic exploded out of her and killed Kendra, shortly before her own accidental death. Sound familiar? It sounds very plausible that Ariana Dumbledore, like Credence/Aurelius, was an Obscruial.
All Of Albus’ Brother And Sisters Names Start With The Letter A
This may seem like a stupid fact, but it could also point to the legitimacy of Grindelwald’s claim about Credence’s true origin. The name “Aurelius Dumbledore” fits in quite nicely with Albus, Aberforth and Ariana. Apparently Percival and Kendra had a real thing for names that start with the letter “A”!
Of course, Grindelwald wouldn’t be a master of manipulation and great public speaker if he wasn’t capable of crafting a convincing story. Plus, if the Fantastic Beasts 2 team revealed his name was “Barney Dumbledore” or something like that, the fact that it didn’t jive with the Dumbledore family naming trend wouldn’t go unnoticed.
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Mary Lou Barebone May Have Known He Descended From Wizards
Credence’s adoptive mother, Mary Lou Barebone, may have actually known about his magical heritage from the beginning. When Credence was first delivered to Mary Lou, it was by Irma Dugard, the half elf working for the Lestrange’s. Presumably, Mary Lou would have caught on rather early to Credence’s connection to magic after her interaction with the half elf.
While it was never explicitly stated in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that Mary Lou knew that Credence was magic, the abuse he faced since his childhood made it seem as though Mary Lou knew about his magic the entire time, which would explain why she abused him more than any of her other foster children.
Here Are Some Ways This Zany Plot Twist Might Work Though Again Its A Huge Stretch
Its always possible that Aurelius is Albuss half-brother, and that Albuss mother had an affair with someone we dont know about. But here, again, we run into the age issue. If Albuss mother, Kendra Dumbledore, had a baby out of wedlock after her husbands death, the youngest that kid could be in 1927 is 28.
Thats because its well-known that Albuss mother, Kendra Dumbledore, died in 1899 in a tragic accident caused by her daughter Ariana, whose own magic had been difficult to control since the Muggle attack that left her debilitated and indirectly sent her father to prison. Ariana herself, we should note, later also died tragically in a standoff between Albus, their brother, and Grindelwald.
There are some other ways this twist could be finagled: For instance, Credence could actually be 10 years older than he thinks he is by virtue of a lot of handwavey magic. But thats a lot of trouble to go to in order to explain the timeline discrepancy.
Another possibility is that Kendra Dumbledore didnt actually die in the 1899 accident, that she could have somehow faked her own death, and gone on to have another kid. But that assumes shed be willing to leave her children parentless for some as-yet-unknown reason, and also opens up the question of why shed do that, and what eventually happened to her and how, again, Dumbledore and a horde of gossip columnists never uncovered this information before.
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Dumbledore’s Love For Grindelwald Explains His Backstory
As mentioned before, Dumbledores backstory was a mystery throughout the Harry Potter books and movies, but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows revealed his former alliance with Grindelwald. Harry learned that Dumbledore was once a wizarding supremacist and was about to start a revolution with Grindelwald, and when he met Aberforth, he also learned about the biggest tragedy in the Dumbledore family. Albus alliance with Grindelwald led him to neglect his duties as Arianas caretaker, and his mission would have dragged Aberforth and Ariana with him, so Aberforth confronted him. This made Albus realize what he had been doing and what he was getting involved in, which angered Grindelwald, leading him to use the Cruciatus Curse on Aberforth. A duel then erupted between Albus, Aberforth, and Grindelwald, in which Ariana was hit by a stray curse, killing her. Being a wizarding supremacist doesnt fit at all with the Albus Dumbledore that readers, viewers, Harry, and many other characters in the history of the Wizarding World knew, but the reveal of him having been in love with Grindelwald explains that part of his backstory, and makes his whole story even more tragic.
It Turns Out That Credence Isn’t Albus’ Brother He’s His Nephew
“The Secrets of Dumbledore” circumvents the timeline issues by revealing that Credence or rather, Aurelius isn’t Albus’ brother. He’s Aberforth’s son, which makes him Albus’ nephew.
Albus explains to Newt in a conversation at Aberforth’s pub that the same summer he and Grindelwald fell in love, Aberforth also had a relationship with a girl who also lived in Godric’s Hollow. The girl, Albus says, was eventually sent away amid rumors of a child.
While Albus was unaware of the child, he said that the boy would have been a part of their lives had he known.
Furthermore, he confirms a long-held theory that his sister Ariana, who died during a three-way duel between Albus, Aberforth, and Grindelwald, was an Obscurial like Credence.
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Story Of Dumbledore’s Sister Ariana Revealed
Warning: Spoilers for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald! How Ariana Dumbledore could explain a lot of things in the franchise
- 00:48, 17 Nov 2018
Whatever you’re feelings on Fantastic Beasts as a franchise, there’s no denying it’s helping Harry Potter fans fill in some blanks.
JK Rowling created a whole big wide wizarding world with the first set of books and now Fantastic Beasts is opening it up even further, fleshing out the characters we know and love.
One such character is Dumbledore.
In Harry Potter we know him as the headmaster of Hogwarts, and one of the greatest wizards ever.
His family history, however, we know less about, but now that’s all changing.
In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald we learn about Dumbledore’s siblings.
At the end of the movie, we find out Credence is actually Albus’ relation and he’s called Aurelius.
We’ve never heard of this Dumbledore before, they’re new to the universe.
Another name we hear in the movie, though, rings more of a bell: Ariana Dumbledore.
Dumbledore brings her up when he chats to Leta, saying he understands her pain over her brother.
But what happened to Ariana?
He’s One Of The Only Obscurials To Survive Past The Age 10
Typically, Obscurial’s do not survive past the age 10, which really made Credence stand out. In fact, Credence has one of two Obscuruses to ever be recorded to survive past the first decade of their lives. The other Obscurus was the one that Newt Scamander kept in his case during Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, even though that Obscurus had already ended the life of its host.
If the theory that Ariana Dumbledore was also an Obscurial is true, it would mean that she was another Obscurial who lived past the age 10, as she lived until she was 14. However, the details of Ariana’s life were kept very secret, so she was never officially recorded as an Obscurial. It’s more than likely not a coincidence that the only two Obscurial “hosts” to live past the age 10 are both members of the Dumbledore family.
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Order Of The Phoenix Members
The original Order of the Phoenix
Although he had a good relationship with some members of the Order of the Phoenix, Aberforth was described as a “strange bloke” by Alastor Moody. He also fought in the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. Aberforth seemed to know Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks and Fred and George Weasley. He saw Lupin fighting with Antonin Dolohov and he told Tonks so. He met many allies of the Order during the Battle of Hogwarts, when many people were getting into Hogwarts through a portrait-hole in a room of his pub.
Aberforth had a mixed relationship with Mundungus Fletcher. While Aberforth banned Mundungus for life from the bar for offending him, the two remained in touch, with Mundungus selling stolen goods to Aberforth.
He did not seem to have a very high opinion of Elphias Doge for his hero worshipping Albus both as students and later in life.
When Albus Dumbledore Was Confirmed To Be Gay
Given the secrecy over Dumbledores backstory in the Harry Potter saga and his close relationship with some male characters, fans of the books and movies started to speculate that the beloved Hogwarts Headmaster was gay. Those suspicions were confirmed in 2007 during a reading of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at Carnegie Hall, where Rowling was asked if Dumbledore ever fell in love, and she replied that she always thought of Dumbledore as gay, and even revealed he had been in love with Gellert Grindelwald. This romance added to the tragedy of Dumbledore as the person he was in love with turned out to be a dangerous man with horrible plans for wizards and muggles, and he was terribly let down by him. Rowling even shared that a line in the early script for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince had Dumbledore saying he knew a girl once, and she had to add a note on the margin letting them know that Dumbledore is gay.
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The First Fantastic Beasts Film Added A New Character To The Harry Potter Universe The Second One Made Him An Even Bigger Part Of The Plot And Included Him In A Major Twist
In the first Fantastic Beasts film, we meet Ezra Millers Credence, a cowering, terrified orphan whos been abused all his life by his witch-fearing guardian at least until he becomes aware of his own intense magical powers after meeting a disguised Grindelwald. Grindelwald pursues Credence in the hope of forming an alliance, because Credence is an Obscurial: a wizard who carries a powerful symbiotic parasite known as an Obscurus.
The Obscurus is new to the Harry Potter universe, and the explanation for it in the first Fantastic Beasts film is brief and easily missed. Basically, an Obscurial is a wizard who has so fully repressed their magic, mainly because they suffered abuse, that it takes the form of the Obscurus parasite. It may then be later unleashed, causing all sorts of violence and damage.
The typical Obscurial is a young wizard young because the Obscurus typically destroys its host before the host reaches adulthood. Credence, however, seems to be an exception: someone whos survived into his teenage years because of his uniquely strong magical ability.
If true, this revelation contains major implications for the entire Harry Potter universe, which has a dense established history full of known facts about many of the wizarding worlds most powerful families, including the Dumbledores. For a secret sibling to be lurking among any family tree would be quite a scandal especially a family as powerfully magical as Dumbledores.
Albus Moved Home To Care For Ariana After His Mother’s Death
Albus Dumbledore was set to travel the world upon learning of his mother’s death, but switched plans and moved back to Godric’s Hollow to be Ariana’s primary caregiver. Dumbledore admitted later in life it was a responsibility he deeply resented at the time, although it did lead to his becoming good friends with Gellert Grindelwald. The two were thick as thieves and shared a lot of ideals and secrets around this time.
This is important, as it would mean Grindelwald would likely be privy to a dark secret such as Albus having a secret brother. Remember, there’s a reason Albus is seeking out Credence as well, so the boy does have some connection to him, even if it isn’t the family tie Grindelwald told the boy. Whatever is true in this case, the answer behind Credence’s origin might lie in the time the two spent together when Dumbledore was in Godric’s Hollow.
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How Albus And Brother Abeforths Parents Died
In her works, JK Rowling reveals that Abeforth was nothing like his elder brother Albus. He isnt bookish and often prefers to settle a disagreement by duelling rather than discussion.
The brothers had a complicated relationship from the get-go with Abeforth struggling to grow up in Albus shadow.
However, things get way worse between them after their youngest sibling, Ariana, is attacked by three muggle boys. The attack leaves Ariana half-insane and she is no longer able to control her magic.
Their father is arrested after he cursed the boys to avenge his daughter. He dies in Azkaban.
The family later moves to Godrics Hollow where Abeforth takes on the responsibility of taking care of Ariana. One day while he is out, Ariana loses control of her magic and accidentally ends up killing their mother.
Is Dumbledore Gay Albus’ Relationship With Grindelwald Explained
Albus Dumbledore is at the front and center of the Fantastic Beasts movies along with Gellert Grindelwald, with whom he had a romantic relationship.
Harry Potter‘s Wizarding World is full of secrets, of which many have been revealed and confirmed by J.K. Rowling over the years, including Albus Dumbledore’s sexual orientation so, is Albus Dumbledore gay, and what is his relationship with Gellert Grindelwald? Back in 1997, Rowling introduced readers to the Wizarding World through her debut novel Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, the first entry in what would become a series of seven novels chronicling the story of The Boy Who Lived and Lord Voldemort, the darkest wizard of all, who had dangerous plans for the Wizarding and Muggle worlds.
Even though the Harry Potter series came to an end in 2007 , the Wizarding World has continued its expansion thanks to other works. Among those is the guide book Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, published in 2001 and written in-universe by Newt Scamander, a famous magizoologist. Years later, Fantastic Beasts was picked up for a series of prequel movies to the Harry Potter saga covering the events that led to the Global Wizarding War. Although Fantastic Beasts had Newt Scamander as the lead, the subsequent movies shifted their focus to Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald , and these two have a lot of history together.
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What Happened Rowena Ravenclaw
Rowena Ravenclaw, from glen, was the most brilliant witch of her time, but her story is one of tragedy. After Helena was tragically killed, legend tells us that Rowena Ravenclaw died of a broken heart.
Is Fawkes the phoenix in crimes of Grindelwald?
A Phoenix. Dumbledores pet phoenix, Fawkes, was apparently a part of his destiny all along. As Dumbledore explains to Newt in The Crimes of Grindelwald, a phoenix will come to any Dumbledore in need.
Is Fawkes in crimes of Grindelwald?
Which founder left Hogwarts? Godric will always be known for his accomplished skills in battle, and his fight against Muggle discrimination in the wizarding world. In fact, it was a serious argument between Godric and Salazar that finally made the Slytherin founder leave Hogwarts. Godric was a man, certainly, ahead of his time.