Hey guys,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, we’re going to be
discussing the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Marauders and Newt Scamander. Now, we know Newt Scamander
as the loveable main character of the new Fantastic Beasts films. Newt is a famed magizoologist
and the AUTHOR of Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them- a book outlining the study of
magical creatures.
The book has been described by Albus Dumbledore as follows:
"Newt's masterpiece had been an approved textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
ever since its publication and must take a substantial amount of credit for our students'
consistently high results in Care of Magical Creatures examinations — yet it is not a
book to be confined to the classroom. No wizarding household is complete without a copy of Fantastic
Beasts, well thumbed by the generations who have riffled its pages in search of the best
way to rid the lawn of Horklumps, interpret the mournful cries of the Augurey, or cure
their pet Puffskein of drinking out of the toilet."
And Newt himself once described his profession as follows:
"I have visited lairs, burrows and nests across five continents, observed the curious habits
of magical beasts in a hundred countries, witnessed their powers, gained their trust
and, on occasion, beaten them off with my travelling kettle."
We get to know Newt quite well in the new Fantastic Beasts films, and there are many
films still on the way. However, one thing that I always found interesting was that Newt
Scamander appeared on the marauders map in the Prisoner of Azkaban - and this was WAY
before we saw him on screen in Fantastic Beasts. So, what was Newt doing on the map? After
all, Newt was expelled from Hogwarts LONG before Harry was even born- he attended the
school from 1908 to 1913!
The Marauder’s Map is described as follows:
"The magic used in the map's creation is advanced and impressive; it includes the Homonculous
Charm, enabling the possessor of the map to track the movements of every person in the
castle, and it was also enchanted to forever repel (as insultingly as possible) the curiosity
of their nemesis, Severus Snape."
With all of that in mind I want to explore a couple of popular fan theories for why it
is that Newt was actually on the map. And I’ll give you my thoughts on both of them
after I’ve briefly introduced them.
Theory #1 is that Newt was visiting Dumbledore. Newt and Dumbledore were very close friends
later in life, and Dumbledore even once taught Newt. At the time that Newt was expelled from
Hogwarts, Dumbledore was Newt’s professor, and tried vehemently to stop him from being
expelled. They had quite a deep friendship, so it makes sense that Newt would go to visit
an old friend. His book was even part of the Hogwarts curriculum.
Theory #2 is that Newt was on the Hogwarts grounds to help save Buckbeak. One of the
key events of the Prisoner of Azkaban was the execution of Buckbeak the hippogriff.
It’s completely reasonable to expect that Newt would take a special interest in Buckbeak.
Newt is a lover of all animals, and Buckbeak's unfair sentence to death would draw his attention.
Additionally, Newt’s mother was a breeder of Hippogriff’s, so it would make perfect
sense that he would be interested in this situation. Newt devoted his life to magical
creatures, so it only makes sense that he would show up to try and stop the execution
if possible.
My own third theory was that Newt was at Hogwarts to visit his grandson, Rolf Scamander. Rolf
was just a year younger than Harry, and attended Hogwarts at the same time as the trio. In
adulthood, Rolf would actually go on to MARRY Luna Lovegood.
But, the main problem with all of these theories is that they assume that Newt was still alive.
Some sources state that Newt only lived until the year 1991 or 1992. And hough he lived
a Hearty and full life- this would mean that he was already dead by the time that Harry
got his hands on the marauders map.
IF Newt was in fact dead, then my only explanation for him showing up on the map was that he
turned in to a ghost. In the films, there are several instances in which ghosts show
up on the MAP, so it would make perfect sense. Those who decide to return to the mortal world
as a ghost, do so because they have ‘unfinished business’- this prevents them from moving
on to the next dimension. In newt’s case, if he became a ghost upon death, I would expect
that it was because he had unfinished business of some sort- perhaps still searching for
more creatures, or in the middle of researching a particular creature. He was so devoted to
his work, that I can really see him lingering around to see it through.
If that isn’t the case, then it must have really just been a little easter egg that
gave us a sense of what was to come in the Fantastic Beasts films.
And that’s it for this video. What are your theories for WHY Newt Scamander showed up
on the Marauders map in the prisoner of azkaban? Let us know down in the comment section below.
Until next time,
YER A WIZARD ARRY