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Hey everyone, welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
In today’s video, we’re going to be discussing the Harry Potter world AND the Fantastic Beasts
world - more specifically, we’ll be discussing how the two interlap.
The Fantastic Beasts films are of course prequels to the popular Harry Potter films- but one
thing worth mentioning is that after we received the last Harry Potter film, there was a significant
hiatus before we got the first installment of Fantastic Beasts.
In fact, Deathly Hallows part 2 came out in 2011, which means that we had to wait a whopping
5 years for our reintroduction to the wizarding world on the big screen- and a reintroduction
it certainly was.
In 2016 we finally got ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to find Them’ - the first installment
of the 5 part film series that introduced us to a very different wizarding world - one
that we weren’t quite accustomed to.
It highlighted what the wizarding world was like in a different era in different parts
of the world- and placed an emphasis on all sorts of new and never before seen characters,
creatures and places.
We saw the wizarding world in America for the first time, creatures like ‘Nifflers’,
new magic, new protagonists and even a new antagonist.
The first film was an entirely new magical experience- showing us so many unfamiliar
things in a world that had become otherwise so familiar.
2 years later, in 2018, the follow-up film came - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Crimes of Grindelwald was able to continue on the path that the first film had laid - introducing
us to so many new concepts and ideas- however, they were also able to interweave aspects
of the magical world that we were already familiar with - aspects from the original
Harry Potter films.
This was a good strategy to try and reel-in and captivate audiences that were heavy hearted
over the veritable lack of old Harry Potter content - the content that we had grown up
with.
Despite the efforts of Warner Bros, each of the Fantastic Beasts films came under heavy
scrutiny from their magical fanbase- mainly being criticized for a plot that seemed a
little all over the place.
However, the negative attention was duly noted- prompting big changes for the 3 films still
to come in the franchise.
“Negative reviews and weak box office receipts of the whole series were something which Warner
Bros. noticed quite suddenly, raising serious concerns about their plans to launch five
series of spin-offs.
Warner Bros. has now shown a great deal of confidence in giving the third series with
a great deal of effort not to replicate the fate of the previous films.”
The negative attention forced filmmakers to reevaluate their strategy, and actually pushed
the films release date back so that they could take extra time to rewrite the screenplay.
The Result?
The Secrets of Dumbledore- part 3 of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, which will be released shortly
in April of this year.
One of the most compelling aspects of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, to me, is that
while all of the events of the film are occurring- there is so much else happening in the rest
of the wizarding world.
The first Fantastic Beasts film took place in 1926, the second 1927, the next sometime
in the 30s, and I’m assuming that the last will take place in 1945, when Grindelwald
and Dumbledore are expected to have their long-awaited final battle.
This gives us a 19 year timeline- but what is perhaps most interesting about this timeline
is that so many significant Harry Potter events occur in these same years.
In this video, starting from the beginning in 1926- I’m going to be diving in and taking
a look at what significant Harry Potter events occurred during the Fantastic Beasts timeline.
Let’s get in to it:
1926
Kicking things off with a bang - there were several MOMENTOUS occasions in this year
December 2nd: Merope gaunt, just days away from having her baby, arrives in London poor,
pregnant and homeless.
To raise money, she sells Caractacus Burke (one of the founders of Borgin & Burkes) the
priceless locket of Salazar Slytherin, an old family heirloom.
Burke offers her ten Galleons, which Merope happily accepts.
31st December: Merope Gaunt, heartbroken, staggers up the front steps of Wool's Orphanage
in London.
The matron, Mrs Cole, takes her in, and she has her baby in the hour.
Merope gives instructions for her son to be named Tom Marvolo Riddle (in honour of his
father and his maternal grandfather) and dies.
Lord Voldemort is born.
1927
19 March: A book launch for Fantastic Beasts and where to Find Them is held at Flourish
and Blotts in Diagon Alley.
Albus Dumbledore was a huge proponent of the book, and upheld that it should be a staple
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry- which it became.
1928
Morfin Gaunt (Tom Riddle’s uncle) returns to the Gaunt Shack from his imprisonment in
Azkaban, only to find his father (Marvolo gaunt) dead and sister gone.
6 December: Hogwarts keeper of keys and grounds Rubeus Hagrid is born to Giantess mother,
Fridwulfa, and wizard father Mr.Hagrid.
1931
15 May: Hogwarts Herbology professor Pomona Sprout is born.
1935
Hogwarts professor (and later headmistress) Minerva McGonagall is born to witch mother
Isobel Ross and muggle father Robert Mcgonagall.
In Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald, we see a younger McGonagall, who appears to
be in her 20s or so.
However, this is not consistent with what JK Rowling had revealed about McGonagall in
the original series.
Originally, Rowling stated that McGonagall started teaching at the school in 1956, at
the age of 21.
Given that Fantastic Beasts 2 takes place in the year 1927 - it just doesn’t really
add up.
This must be a different McGonagall.
Bertie Bott - the inventor of Bertie Bott’s every flavoured beans is born in this same
year.
1938
August: Albus Dumbledore (who was at the time a Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts) visits
the troubled young boy Tom Riddle at Wool’s orphanage and invites him to study at the
school.
Later that same year Tom Marvolo Riddle starts at Hogwarts and is sorted into Slytherin house.
1939
Minister for Magic Hector Fawley is ousted from office, and is replaced with Leonard
Spencer-Moon.
Fawley was ousted because he did not take the threat that was Grindelwald seriously.
His lack of response to Grindelwald’s ‘for the greater good regime’ was publicly questioned,
which led to him being replaced by the more proactive Leonard Moon.
In this same year the Muggle world becomes engaged in the Second World War.
1940
Rubeus Hagrid begins attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted
in to gryffindor house.
1941
Mr.Hagrid, Hagrid’s father, tragically passes away.
1943
June 13th: Tom Riddle opens the fabled Chamber of Secrets- containing the basilisk of Hogwarts
founder Salazar Slytherin.
Upon opening the chamber several students are injured, and Myrtle Warren aka Moaning
Myrtle is KILLED.
Rubeus Hagrid is framed for the attacks by Riddle and is subsequently expelled / barred
from magic.
Riddle murders Moaning Myrtle after extracting information about Horcruxes from Hogwarts
professor Horace Slughorn- and subsequently transforms his diary into his first Horcrux.
In August Tom Riddle travels to Little Hangleton and murders his whole family for what he perceived
as the ‘abandonment’ of his mother.
Those killed include Tom Riddle, his father, Tom Riddle Sr, his grandfather, and Mary Riddle,
his grandmother.
Riddle’s uncle Morfin Gaunt is framed for the attacks by Tom and is subsequently sent
to Azkaban.
While murdering the Riddles, Voldemort also creates his second Horcrux: Marvolo Gaunt’s
ring.
1944
Tom Riddle begins his final year at Hogwarts and is named head boy.
Secretly, his close friends start referring to him as Lord Voldemort- marking the official
beginning of his transformation in to his new identity.
1945
Devlin Whitehorn, who founded the Nimbus Racing Broom Company responsible for the Nimbus 2000,
is born.
Tom Riddle graduates from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
After graduating, he is turned down for the role of defence against the dark arts professor-
and subsequently vanishes to Europe in search of Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem.
In this same year the Second World War ends and Dumbledore finally defeats Gellert Grindelwald,
which has a large impact on both timelines.
1945 is the year that we ASSUME the Fantastic Beasts films will end, as the defeat of Grindelwald
in that year should serve as the climax to the film series.
However, I suppose there is always space for the film series jumping forward in time after
his defeat- perhaps even delving in to the 50s/60s - even if only for a short amount
of time.
Whether these Harry Potter events will actually be SHOWN in the Fantastic Beasts films is
up to Warner Bros, but I think that it would be criminal not to include Tom Riddle’s
character at all.
I just don’t see how the time period could be purely coincidence- and if Warner Bros
want to salvage their franchise after the scrutiny they’ve received, then bringing
back a young Voldemort (and maybe even Hagrid) could be a great start.
Did you guys know that all of this happened over the course of the Fantastic Beasts timeline?
Did I miss anything?
Are you excited for the Secrets of Dumbledore coming this April?
Let me know in the comment section below.
Until next time
Remember
Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.