Modesty Barebone

Modesty Barebone was the youngest adopted daughter of Mary Lou Barebone, the fanatical leader of the New Salem Philanthropic Society. Living in New York City in the 1920s, Modesty played a key, albeit unwitting, role in Gellert Grindelwald's search for a powerful Obscurial. Her quiet and repressed demeanor made her the primary suspect, a misdirection that ultimately shielded the true Obscurial, her adoptive brother Credence Barebone, from discovery for a time (film).

Modesty was one of several children adopted by Mary Lou Barebone, a No-Maj with a zealous hatred for witchcraft and wizardry (film). She was raised in a household defined by harsh discipline, austerity, and fear. Along with her adoptive siblings, Credence and Chastity, she was forced to distribute anti-magic leaflets and sing songs condemning witches (film). The environment was deeply abusive, with Mary Lou using corporal punishment, such as a belt, for any perceived transgression (film). In December 1926, Modesty came to the attention of Percival Graves, the Director of Magical Security for MACUSA, who was secretly Gellert Grindelwald in disguise. Believing a powerful Obscurus was loose in the city, Grindelwald targeted the Barebone children, seeing their repressed lives as the perfect breeding ground for such a parasite (film). He focused his attention on Modesty, suspecting the youngest and most withdrawn child to be the host. He met with her in secret, trying to coax the power out of her, but she remained silent and fearful (film). The climax of this suspicion occurred when Mary Lou Barebone discovered a toy wand under Modesty's bed. Enraged, she prepared to beat Modesty, but Credence intervened. When Mary Lou turned her wrath on Credence, his own long-suppressed Obscurus was unleashed, killing her and his other sister, Chastity (film). Later, when confronted by Graves/Grindelwald, Modesty was terrified. When she showed no sign of magical power, Grindelwald cruelly dismissed her as a “Squib” and turned his attention back to Credence, who then fully revealed himself as the Obscurial (film). Modesty was the only Barebone sibling to survive the incident. She was last seen in her damaged home, where Newt Scamander attempted to comfort her before the arrival of MACUSA Aurors (film).

Modesty is depicted as a small, young girl, likely between eight and ten years old, with dark hair typically worn in braids (film). She dresses in the drab, simple clothing enforced by her mother's puritanical beliefs (film). Her personality is a direct result of her abusive upbringing. She is exceptionally quiet, withdrawn, and perpetually fearful, especially in the presence of her mother (film). Despite this, she possesses a child's imagination, as shown by her hidden toy wand and her participation in children's games like hopscotch, albeit with grim, anti-witchcraft rhymes (film). She appeared to have a closer, more sympathetic bond with her brother Credence than anyone else in her family (film).

Modesty is a No-Maj and possesses no magical abilities (film). For a significant portion of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, she was the primary suspect for being the Obscurial sought by Gellert Grindelwald. Her repressed nature and the intense magical energy surrounding her family made her a logical candidate, but this was proven to be incorrect (film).

• Toy Wand: Modesty owned a simple toy wand, which she kept hidden beneath her bed. Its discovery by Mary Lou Barebone was the catalyst for the violent outburst of Credence's Obscurus that led to Mary Lou's death (film).

• Mary Lou Barebone: Modesty was the adoptive daughter of Mary Lou, who was a cruel and abusive guardian. Modesty lived in constant fear of her mother's fanatical ideology and violent punishments (film).
• Credence Barebone: Her adoptive brother. Credence was protective of Modesty, attempting to shield her from their mother's abuse. The bond between them, while strained by their circumstances, was one of shared victimhood. It was in an attempt to protect Modesty that Credence's Obscurus first manifested with lethal force (film).
• Percival Graves (Gellert Grindelwald): Graves/Grindelwald initially focused on Modesty in his hunt for the Obscurial, attempting to manipulate the young girl. Upon realizing she was not the host, he callously discarded her, showing his complete lack of empathy (film).

• Modesty: The name “Modesty” is a virtue name, reflecting qualities of humility, propriety, and reserve. This aligns with the strict, puritanical values her adoptive mother, Mary Lou Barebone, attempted to enforce.
• Barebone: The surname “Barebone” evokes a sense of starkness, poverty, and having only the bare essentials. This perfectly describes the grim, deprived, and emotionally barren household in which the children were raised.

• Modesty Barebone is a character created specifically for the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and does not appear in the original seven Harry Potter novels (film).
• In the film, she is portrayed by actress Faith Wood-Blagrove (film).
• The character serves as a major red herring in the film's plot, drawing the attention of both the characters and the audience away from Credence Barebone as the true Obscurial (film).