HARRY POTTER Film/TV Series Thread- RIP Michael Gambon / Dumbledore

ARIANA DUMBLEDORE WAS (PROBABLY) AN OBSCURUS

The story of Albus Dumbledore’s family is largely unknown within the original Harry Potter books up until the last installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when the titular wizard learns more about his deceased mentor’s life — including Dumbledore’s brief friendship with Grindelwald in the summer of 1899 (27 years before Fantastic Beasts takes place). While speaking to Albus’ younger brother Aberforth toward the end of the final novel, Harry, Hermione, and Ron learn about that summer from a new perspective. Outsiders, after all, knew very little about the youngest Dumbledore child, Ariana.

As Aberforth explains, Dumbledore had just graduated from Hogwarts, but was forced to return home to Godric’s Hollow to care for Ariana — who was 14 at the time — because his mother had been killed in a magical accident that included his sister (his father was in prison for attacking a group of Muggle boys). Dumbledore struck up a friendship with Grindelwald in which the boys began planning Grindelwald’s revolution to establish wizards as benevolent overlords of Muggles. However, their friendship came to an end when they got into a three-way duel with Aberforth that wound up killing Ariana.

But, why did Ariana need to be cared for at all? As Aberforth revealed to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, she was attacked by a group of Muggle boys when she was six-years-old, and it had a lasting effect on her. In fact, here’s how Aberforth specifically describes the attack and his sister:

“It destroyed her, what they did: She was never right again. She wouldn’t use magic, but she couldn’t get rid of it; it turned inward and drove her mad, it exploded out of her when she couldn’t control it, and at times she was strange and dangerous. But mostly she was sweet and scared and harmless.”

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Aberforth continues to explain that his and Albus’s father sought revenge on the boys that attacked Ariana, but never confessed his reasons to the Ministry of Magic despite being sent to Azkaban. Aberforth said:

“If the Ministry had known what Ariana had become, she’d have been locked up in St. Mungo’s [Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries] for good. They’d have seen her as a serious threat to the International Statute of Secrecy, unbalanced like she was, with magic exploding out of her at moments when she couldn’t keep it in any longer.”

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Given the language Aberforth uses to describe Ariana repressing her magic to the point that it “exploded out of her” and that she would be considered a danger to the Statute of Secrecy, there are too many parallels to ignore between the youngest Dumbledore child and Credence Barebone. Both Credence and Ariana suffered trauma at a young age, both attempted to repress their magic, and both seemed to be sweet and kind but could prove to be dangerous if provoked. So, it follows that Ariana was an Obscurus.

Furthermore, it’s implied in Aberforth’s recount that Ariana’s Obscurus accidentally killed her mother (similar to how Credence accidentally kills Mary Lou), and Ariana’s Obscurus emerged during the duel between her brothers and Grindelwald. Considering the fearful reaction of the MACUSA to Credence’s Obscurus that caused them to destroy him, a similar situation likely arose during the three-way duel, leading to Ariana’s death. Dumbledore was always afraid he accidentally killed Ariana, and if she manifested as the Obscurus during the duel, she may have gotten in the way or inspired enough fear in the three men that they all (or some) of them turned their wands on her.

Additionally, Grindelwald witnessing an Obscurus first-hand in Ariana would explain why he-as-Graves is knowledgeable enough about the creature to seek out the one terrorizing New York City in Fantastic Beasts — that is, if Grindelwad did witness Ariana’s Obscurus and if he knows the creature in the city is an Obscurus. Furthermore, Ariana being an Obscurus may explain how Newt learned of them; he may have learned of them from Dumbledore. The student and teacher did have a close relationship while Newt was at Hogwarts. Although, if Dumbledore did teach Newt about Obscurus, it’s likely the professor never revealed how he learned about the creatures considering he kept his family life a secret from Harry during the Harry Potter series.

Of course, Ariana Dumbledore being an Obscurus doesn’t necessarily offer insight into whether Credence could still be alive. But, this knowledge about Ariana and the tease that Credence or his Obscurus could still be alive somehow may help to reveal how the Fantastic Beasts franchise progresses into the sequel.

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