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What Did Dumbledore Do? And 8 Other Fantastic Beasts Questions

The new 'Fantastic Beasts' trailer reveals a surprising connection between Newt and Hagrid

The first trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them vaguely introduced us to Newt Scamander, the magizoologist at the center of J.K. Rowling's magical new adventure. But it was the second trailer, which premiered exclusively at the MTV Movie Awards, that made us remember why we fell in love with the wizarding world in the first place. It felt familiar, yet effervescent and completely thrilling. Wherever Newt goes, we can't wait to follow him, especially if "Hedwig's Theme" is there to welcome us home.

Let's take a deeper look at the new Fantastic Beasts trailer and see what we can decipher from these fantastic scenes.

  1. What makes Albus Dumbledore so fond of Newt?

    We know it has to be more than that pretty face. We now know Newt Scamander was expelled from Hogwarts for "endangering human life with a beast." That certainly sounds familiar. In many ways, Newt's time at Hogwarts mirrors Hagrid's backstory. Of course Fantastic Beasts, which is set in 1926 New York, takes place years before Hagrid shows up with Aragog. Intriguingly, however, a certain Albus Dumbledore "argued strongly" against his expulsion -- which he would do decades later for one Mr. Hagrid. But why was Dumbledore so fond of Newt? Was he an O-level student? Was he framed like Hagrid? Or is there something deeper there?

  2. Will we see Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts?
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    Dumbledore would be in his mid-40s when Fantastic Beasts takes place, which means that he's not quite Headmaster yet, but rather a Transfiguration teacher. It's unlikely that we'll see Dumbledore in New York City, unless the film features a few key flashback sequences to Newt's time at Hogwarts.

  3. Also, what did Dumbledore do?

    It's entirely possible that Dumbledore knew about Newt's collection of beasts and, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore sent Newt to New York City on a very specific mission.

  4. Is that "Muggle Worthy" lock broken?

    When Scamander arrives at customs, he flicks the "Muggle Worthy" switch on his suitcase, enabling him to trick the immigration officers at the docks. I'd imagine that this, and Newt's general clumsiness, is the culprit for his major snafu.

  5. Is Gellert Grindelwald the wizard on the run?

    Among several intriguing headlines spotted on this wizard newspaper, the top story appears to be "International Wizard Hunt Intensifies." The early 1900s setting of the trilogy would seem to imply that this is the era when Grindelwald was terrorizing Europe. Will we see any traces of the fallen dark wizard in Fantastic Beasts?

  6. Who is Alberto Macellarus?

    In another part of the paper, we see that an older man named Alberto Macellarus is wanted for 3,500 Dragots. Is this another Dark Wizard? Or perhaps this is someone who broke the International Statute of Secrecy? Thanks to Rowling's History of Magic in North America, we know that North American wizards and witches were living in secrecy in the 1920s -- and that they were very fearful of No-Majes. This is echoed on the pages of the newspaper, as we also see a lot of fears about "Wizarding Exposure."

  7. Oh, and who is Shaw?

    While we're fascinated by wizarding politics in America, we also have to acknowledge No-Maj politics. At this time, the Magical Congress of the United States of America and its president, Madam Picquery, are under a tremendous amount of political pressure to keep wizardry on the DL. But what about No-Maj politicians like this Mr. Shaw? Is he aware of the magic that's happening behind closed doors? Even worse, could he be one of those wizard-hating Scourers we've heard so much about?

  8. Does Newt have his License to Apparate?

    Since Newt never graduated from Hogwarts, did he take his Apparition test? Or is he practicing it illegally? Regardless, I hope he remembers the three D's: Destination, Determination, and Deliberation.

  9. Where is Ezra Miller?
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    Miller’s character, Credence, supposedly plays a "big role" in wizarding world canon. Does this mean Credence is a wizard? So how long until we get to see Miller in action? Because we saw nary a Miller in this trailer.

  10. So is that cute little Niffler actually Newt's sidekick?

    We see this little guy not once, but twice, in the trailer, which suggests that he could have a larger role in Fantastic Beasts. Could he be Newt's sidekick? If so, does Newt have him go hunting for treasures on the regular? After all, I can't imagine that Newt came to America with much money. Anyway, he's so adorable -- we need to see more of him.