Dumbeldore’s family

We know Dumbledore in Harry Potter as the wise and mysterious headmaster of Hogwarts — mentor to Harry and ultimate planner in the war against Voldemort. His past with Grindelwald is hinted at in Deathly Hallows, but Fantastic Beasts shows it in action.

In Fantastic Beasts, we meet a much younger Albus (played by Jude Law), stylish in his suit and deeply tangled in old secrets. He’s not yet headmaster — just a brilliant Hogwarts professor — but he’s already at odds with one of the most dangerous wizards of all time: Gellert Grindelwald. Their past? Deep, emotional, and complicated. We even learn they were once friends — maybe even more — before becoming enemies. Their bond is sealed with a magical blood pact, which makes it impossible for them to duel… for now.

Fantastic Beasts films flesh out Dumbledore’s early life, his sexuality, his family trauma (Ariana’s death), and his moral struggles—giving depth to the mentor figure we know in Harry Potter.

The Dumbledore family’s story is full of heartbreak, secrets, and the emotional weight that shaped Albus Dumbledore into the man we see in Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts.

• Percival Dumbledore (father): Jailed for attacking Muggle boys who harmed his daughter, Ariana. He died in Azkaban, never revealing why — to protect her.
• Kendra Dumbledore (mother): Moved the family to hide Ariana’s condition. She died in a magical accident during one of Ariana’s outbursts.
• Ariana Dumbledore (sister): Attacked as a child by Muggles, she became an Obscurial (a witch whose suppressed magic becomes dangerous). She accidentally killed her mother and later died in a 3-way duel between Albus, Grindelwald, and Aberforth. Her death haunted Albus for life.
• Aberforth Dumbledore (brother): Resentful of Albus for neglecting the family. He later helps Harry in Deathly Hallows and appears in Fantastic Beasts, possibly as Credence’s father.
• Credence Barebone (maybe Aurelius Dumbledore): Introduced in Fantastic Beasts as an Obscurial. Grindelwald claims he’s Albus’s long-lost brother — but more likely Aberforth’s son. Either way, his story reopens old family wounds.

The Dumbledores are a powerful but deeply damaged family — and their past is central to both timelines. Albus’s guilt and choices all stem from these early tragedies, making him one of the most complex characters in the Wizarding World.

Gellert Grindelwald

Gellert Grindelwald was the most dangerous dark wizard before Voldemort. Brilliant and persuasive, he believed wizards should rule over Muggles — “for the greater good.”

As a teen, he became close with Albus Dumbledore, and they even dreamed of changing the world together. But after a tragic duel that killed Dumbledore’s sister, they became enemies.

Grindelwald stole the Elder Wand and started a wizarding world war, until Dumbledore defeated him in 1945. He was imprisoned in Nurmengard — the same prison he built.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Voldemort hunts Grindelwald for the Elder Wand. Grindelwald refuses to help him, showing rare remorse, and is killed for it.

Grindelwald’s rise and fall set the stage for Voldemort’s era. His ideology influences future dark wizards, and his defeat becomes a defining moment in Dumbledore’s life.

Nagini: More Than Just a Snake

This one surprised a lot of people. In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, we meet Nagini — not as Voldemort’s slithery sidekick, but as a woman. She’s a Maledictus — cursed to eventually transform permanently into a snake.

First seen in Fantastic Beasts, she lived as part of a magical circus and formed a deep bond with Credence Barebone, trying to protect him from dark influences. Eventually, her curse took over, and she became trapped in her snake form forever. By the time of Harry Potter, she is Voldemort’s deadly companion — intelligent, loyal, and used to kill his enemies. He even turned her into a Horcrux, binding a piece of his soul to her. Nagini’s tragic journey ends during the Battle of Hogwarts, when Neville Longbottom kills her, destroying the final Horcrux and paving the way for Voldemort’s defeat.

Her story is tragic, she once had a life, feelings, friends… even a human face. This backstory adds so much depth (and heartbreak) to her character.

Lestrange: Tragic Legacy

The Lestranges are a powerful pure-blood family with a dark legacy. Leta Lestrange, one of the most emotionally complex characters introduced in Fantastic Beasts, was the daughter of Corvus Lestrange IV. Her tragic story involves accidentally causing the death of her baby brother during a shipwreck — a boy many believed was Credence Barebone, though this was later proven false.

Leta and Credence are not related, despite the rumors. She dies heroically trying to stop Grindelwald.

The Lestrange name is familiar to Harry Potter fans — Bellatrix Lestrange was Voldemort’s most loyal follower. She is not blood-related to Leta — she married into the Lestrange family (she was born a Black). Sirius Black is also unrelated to Leta, though he and Bellatrix are cousins through the Black family tree.

In short: same name, different branches — but all tied to the darker corners of wizarding history. Leta is a reminder that not everyone from a dark family chooses a dark path.

The Scamander Family: Magizoologists at Heart

The Scamanders are a kind-hearted, intelligent wizarding family best known for their love of magical creatures.

Newt Scamander is a shy but brilliant Magizoologist — author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the magical textbook used at Hogwarts. He worked closely with Albus Dumbledore to stop Grindelwald, and later became famous for protecting magical beasts and promoting understanding of them.

Newt eventually marries Tina Goldstein, and they settle down in the UK.

By the time of Harry Potter, we don’t see Newt directly, but his legacy lives on:

• His textbook is required reading at Hogwarts.
• His grandson, Rolf Scamander, marries Luna Lovegood after the events of the books.
• Rolf, like Newt, becomes a Magizoologist — continuing the family tradition.

Theseus Scamander is Newt’s older brother — a respected Auror and Head of the British Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic during the events of Fantastic Beasts.

Unlike Newt, who’s quiet and awkward, Theseus is brave, confident, and very by-the-book. He’s a celebrated war hero from the First World War and plays a key role in the fight against Grindelwald. Though the brothers are very different, they eventually grow closer through shared battles and loss.

He was engaged to Leta Lestrange, but she dies tragically trying to stop Grindelwald, deeply affecting him.

Theseus doesn’t appear in the Harry Potter books, and it’s unknown what happens to him later. But his role in magical history — as both a war hero and Grindelwald opponent — makes him a major part of the Scamander legacy.

That’s not all…

• Professor McGonagall makes a brief appearance in The Crimes of Grindelwald, and fans were like, “Hold up — isn’t she too young to be there?” Timeline-wise, it doesn’t really add up, but it was clearly meant as a fun nod to longtime fans. Either way, seeing her at Hogwarts again gave us all the feels.

• The Elder Wand — one of the three Deathly Hallows — plays a huge role in both stories. In Fantastic Beasts, it’s in Grindelwald’s hands. In Harry Potter, it’s passed to Dumbledore and eventually becomes a key to defeating Voldemort. Tracking the wand’s history helps connect both timelines, showing how power changes hands — and shapes destinies.

• While Harry Potter is mainly set in the UK, Fantastic Beasts takes us around the world — from New York (hello, MACUSA!) to Paris to Bhutan. We meet international witches, wizards, and entire magical governments. It’s a reminder that the wizarding world is way bigger than just Hogwarts.