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| the_secrets_of_dumbledore [2025/08/11 14:52] – created xiaoer | the_secrets_of_dumbledore [2025/08/12 16:25] (current) – xiaoer |
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| ======The Secrets of Dumbledore====== | ======The Secrets of Dumbledore====== |
| =====Object Information===== | =====Introduction===== |
| * **Type:** [[Lore]]; Thematic Concept | //The Secrets of Dumbledore// is the third installment in the [[Fantastic Beasts]] film series, serving as a prequel to the main [[Harry Potter]] saga. The story centers on [[Albus Dumbledore]] tasking [[Newt Scamander]] and his allies with a mission to thwart the dark wizard [[Gellert Grindelwald]]'s escalating plans for global domination. As a film adaptation, its events and characters exist within the film canon and may differ from or expand upon the information presented in the original seven [[Harry Potter]] novels. All information in this entry is sourced from the film unless otherwise specified. |
| * **Owners:** [[Albus Dumbledore]] (originator); [[Aberforth Dumbledore]], [[Elphias Doge]], [[Bathilda Bagshot]] (partial knowledge); [[Harry Potter]] (inheritor) | =====Synopsis===== |
| * **Maker:** [[Albus Dumbledore]] (through his youthful actions and subsequent lifelong omissions) | The narrative begins with [[Albus Dumbledore]], who is prevented from directly moving against [[Gellert Grindelwald]] due to their magical [[Blood Pact]]. Aware that Grindelwald has the power of [[Divination]] and can foresee any direct counter-move, Dumbledore devises a complex plan to confuse him. He assembles a team, which he refers to as the first army to stand against Grindelwald, consisting of [[Newt Scamander]], his brother [[Theseus Scamander]], [[Ilvermorny]] [[Charms]] professor [[Eulalie Hicks|Eulalie "Lally" Hicks]], French-Senegalese wizard [[Yusuf Kama]], Newt's [[Muggle]] friend [[Jacob Kowalski]], and Newt's assistant, [[Bunty Broadacre]]. |
| =====Description and Appearance===== | The team's mission is to disrupt Grindelwald's plot to be illegitimately elected as the new Supreme Head of the [[International Confederation of Wizards]] (ICW). Grindelwald's plan hinges on using a captured [[Qilin]]—a rare magical creature capable of seeing a person's pure soul—to endorse him during the election in [[Bhutan]]. He kills one of the newborn twin Qilins and uses [[Necromancy]] to reanimate it, intending for the corrupted creature to bow to him. |
| "The Secrets of Dumbledore" is not a physical object, but a collection of deeply hidden, painful, and morally complex truths about the early life of [[Albus Dumbledore]]. These secrets were concealed for the majority of his life and only came to light following his death. Their revelation profoundly re-contextualized his character from a figure of unerring wisdom to a brilliant but flawed man marked by tragedy, ambition, and profound remorse. | Dumbledore's team, armed with identical suitcases to create confusion, travels to the [[German Ministry of Magic]] in Berlin to disrupt a dinner for the ICW candidates and to rescue Theseus, who has been captured. During these events, Grindelwald publicly frames his political opponent, Vicência Santos of Brazil, for an assassination attempt he orchestrated himself. He also tasks [[Credence Barebone]], his tormented follower, with assassinating Dumbledore. |
| The secrets can be broadly categorized into two interconnected parts: | The final confrontation takes place in [[Bhutan]] during the Walk of the [[Qilin]] ceremony. Thanks to Dumbledore's confusing plan, Newt successfully presents the surviving twin [[Qilin]] to the world. The creature first bows to Dumbledore, who declines leadership, and then to a shocked Vicência Santos, who is recognized as the worthy leader. Enraged, Grindelwald attempts to kill Credence, but Albus and [[Aberforth Dumbledore]] cast protective spells. The collision of these opposing spells finally breaks the [[Blood Pact]]. Freed from their magical bond, Dumbledore and Grindelwald engage in a brief but intense duel before Grindelwald disapparates. The film concludes with the wedding of [[Jacob Kowalski]] and [[Queenie Goldstein]] at Jacob's bakery, attended by Newt, [[Tina Goldstein]], and other members of the team. |
| * **The Dumbledore Family Tragedy:** This concerns the true circumstances surrounding his family's downfall. His father, [[Percival Dumbledore]], was imprisoned in [[Azkaban]] for attacking Muggles, an act of revenge after those Muggles assaulted his six-year-old daughter, [[Ariana Dumbledore]]. The attack left Ariana emotionally and magically unstable, prone to dangerous outbursts of uncontrolled magic. To protect her, their mother, [[Kendra Dumbledore]], moved the family to [[Godric's Hollow]] and kept Ariana hidden. Kendra was later killed during one of Ariana's outbursts, leaving Albus, at eighteen, as the head of the family. The ultimate secret was the cause of Ariana's death: she was killed by a stray [[curse]] during a three-way duel between Albus, his brother [[Aberforth Dumbledore]], and Albus's friend, [[Gellert Grindelwald]]. Neither Albus nor Aberforth ever knew for certain whose curse had struck her. | =====Key Revelations and Plot Points===== |
| * **Relationship with Gellert Grindelwald:** As a youth, Dumbledore formed an intense friendship with the brilliant and charismatic [[Gellert Grindelwald]]. Together, they became obsessed with finding the [[Deathly Hallows]] and leading a global revolution that would place wizards in charge of Muggles "for the greater good." Dumbledore was, for a time, seduced by this ideology and the promise of power. This ambition, and his neglect of his family responsibilities in favour of his plans with Grindelwald, directly led to the confrontation that resulted in Ariana's death and the permanent rupture of his relationship with Aberforth. | * **[[Credence Barebone]]'s Parentage:** It is revealed that Credence is not Albus Dumbledore's long-lost brother, but the illegitimate son of [[Aberforth Dumbledore]]. His true name is Aurelius Dumbledore. This clarifies the cliffhanger from the previous film, //[[The Crimes of Grindelwald]]//. |
| =====Magical Properties and Usage===== | * **The [[Blood Pact]]:** The nature of the magical pact between Albus and Gellert is shown. It is a vial containing their intermingled [[blood]], which physically prevents them from harming or even thinking ill of one another. It is destroyed when their spells clash while protecting Credence, as they were not aimed at each other but at a common point with opposing intent. |
| While not magical in themselves, the secrets possessed immense influential power and were "used" by several individuals in different ways: | * **Dumbledore's Love for Grindelwald:** [[Albus Dumbledore]] explicitly states that he was in love with [[Gellert Grindelwald]], confirming the nature of their youthful relationship. |
| * **Usage by [[Albus Dumbledore]]:** Dumbledore's primary use of his secrets was their concealment. By hiding his flawed past, he cultivated a public persona of unimpeachable moral authority and wisdom. This was crucial for his role as the leader of the opposition to [[Lord Voldemort]], allowing the [[Order of the Phoenix]] and the wider wizarding world to trust his judgment without question. He guarded these truths to prevent his past ambitions from undermining his present cause. | * **The [[Qilin]]:** This film introduces the [[Qilin]], a gentle, dragon-like creature from Asian mythology revered for its ability to perceive inner goodness and purity, making it the ultimate arbiter of leadership in the wizarding world. |
| * **Usage by [[Rita Skeeter]]:** The journalist [[Rita Skeeter]] weaponized partial truths and twisted facts about Dumbledore's past in her scandalous posthumous biography, //The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore//. She used the secrets to discredit Dumbledore, shatter his public image, and sow doubt among those who had trusted him, including [[Harry Potter]]. | * **The First Dumbledore's Army:** The team assembled by Dumbledore—a diverse group including a Magizoologist, an Auror, a professor, a French wizard, a Muggle, and an assistant—is referred to by Albus as "Dumbledore's Army," a clear precursor to the student organization [[Harry Potter]] would later form. |
| * **Usage by [[Harry Potter]]:** For Harry, the discovery of the secrets was a critical test of faith. Learning of Dumbledore's youthful flaws and manipulative tendencies forced Harry to grapple with the idea that his hero was a complex and imperfect man. Ultimately, understanding Dumbledore's remorse and the context of his actions allowed Harry to forgive him, accept the burdens Dumbledore had placed upon him, and walk to his own death with a deeper understanding of sacrifice. | =====Continuity with the Harry Potter Novels===== |
| =====History===== | This film expands upon the backstory of the Dumbledore family and the conflict with Grindelwald, which was primarily detailed in //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]// through the accounts of [[Aberforth Dumbledore]] and [[Rita Skeeter]]'s biography, //[[The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore]]//. |
| The secrets originated in the late 19th century with the attack on [[Ariana Dumbledore]] and the subsequent events in [[Godric's Hollow]]. After Ariana's death and [[Gellert Grindelwald]]'s departure, [[Albus Dumbledore]] and his brother [[Aberforth Dumbledore]] concealed the full truth for nearly a century. | * **Aurelius Dumbledore:** The existence of a son of [[Aberforth Dumbledore]] is a major addition to the Dumbledore family history and is not mentioned anywhere in the seven original novels. Aberforth's own account of his family history in the books focuses solely on his parents and his sister, [[Ariana Dumbledore]]. |
| In the summer of 1997, following Dumbledore's death, [[Rita Skeeter]] began investigating his past, interviewing figures like [[Bathilda Bagshot]] under the influence of [[Veritaserum]]. Her resulting book, //The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore//, publicly exposed many of the secrets for the first time, albeit in a sensationalized and misleading manner. | * **The [[Blood Pact]]:** While Dumbledore tells [[Harry Potter]] in the novels that he was unable to move against Grindelwald for a time due to being "fond of him" and "ashamed," the [[Blood Pact]] provides a concrete, magical reason for his delay in confronting him. |
| [[Harry Potter]] slowly uncovered the fuller story throughout his hunt for the [[Horcruxes]]. He received conflicting accounts from [[Elphias Doge]], who presented a sanitized version of Dumbledore's youth, and [[Auntie Muriel]], who gleefully shared Skeeter's gossip. Harry later saw a vision of the friendship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald through his connection to [[Voldemort]]'s mind while at [[Bagshot]]'s old home. The complete, unvarnished truth was finally revealed to Harry by [[Aberforth Dumbledore]] at the [[Hog's Head Inn]] just before the [[Battle of Hogwarts]]. Dumbledore himself confirmed and explained his motivations and profound regret to Harry in their encounter at the ethereal [[King's Cross]] station. | * **[[Hogwarts]] in the 1930s:** The film provides visual depictions of [[Hogwarts]], the [[Room of Requirement]], and the village of [[Hogsmeade]] during the 1930s. It also shows a meeting between Albus and Aberforth in the [[Hog's Head Inn]]. |
| =====Role in the Story===== | |
| The secrets of Dumbledore are a central mystery and thematic pillar of //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]//. Their slow revelation forms a major subplot that runs parallel to Harry's search for the [[Horcruxes]]. The primary role of these secrets is to facilitate Harry's final stage of maturation. By being forced to confront the fallibility of his greatest mentor, Harry must learn to think for himself, rely on his own moral compass, and complete his mission not out of blind loyalty, but out of a mature understanding of what is right. The story of Dumbledore's youthful pursuit of the [[Hallows]] and his lust for power serves as a cautionary tale for Harry, who faces the same temptations upon learning of the Hallows himself. | |
| =====Behind the Scenes===== | =====Behind the Scenes===== |
| * //The Secrets of Dumbledore// is the official title of the third film in the //Fantastic Beasts// series, which explores the conflict between a younger [[Albus Dumbledore]] and [[Gellert Grindelwald]] (film). | * **Film Series:** [[Fantastic Beasts]] |
| * The nature of [[Ariana Dumbledore]]'s affliction—that her repressed magic made her an [[Obscurial]]—was a concept introduced in the //Fantastic Beasts// films and later confirmed by J.K. Rowling to be the canonical explanation for her condition (Pottermore). | * **Release Date:** 15 April 2022 (United States) (film) |
| | * **Director:** David Yates (film) |
| | * **Screenplay by:** [[J.K. Rowling]] & Steve Kloves (film) |
| | * **Based on a screenplay by:** [[J.K. Rowling]] (film) |
| | * **Recasting:** The role of [[Gellert Grindelwald]] was portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen, who replaced Johnny Depp from the previous films. (film) |
