What are the links between

Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts?

1) J.K. Rowling

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them may be set 70 years before the
adventures of Harry Potter but they are very much part of the same wizarding
world conjured from the imagination of J.K. Rowling.
Rowling first sowed the seeds of this new series back in 2001, before the
release of the first Harry Potter film. In a bid to raise money for Comic Relief,
the author wrote two spin-off books – Quidditch Through the Ages and
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The latter was imagined as a Hogwarts textbook owned by Harry and written
by Newt Scamander, a magizoologist offering insight to magical creatures in the
wizarding world. The illustrations were drawn by Rowling herself. Fifteen years
later, Fantastic Beasts marks Rowling’s first outing as a screenwriter.

2) The Deathly Hallows

On first look, this may simply look like a character poster of Colin Farrell as
the sinister Percival Graves. But look to the left and you’ll spot a necklace
featuring the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. The Deathly Hallows are three
magical objects – an unbeatable wand, a stone to bring the dead to life, and a
cloak of invisibility – that give the owner mastery over death. They were the
focus of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Decades before, the symbol was adopted by dark wizard Gellert
Grindelwald. Albus Dumbledore, the wizard who would eventually become
headmaster at Hogwarts and a mentor to Harry, sought the Elder Wand and the
Resurrection Stone in his youth as a friend of Grindelwald. This suggests
Grindelwald is the big bad of this new series of five films and Johnny Depp has
already been cast for the upcoming sequel.

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3) Gellert Grindelwald

Dark wizard Grindelwald, seen briefly in Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows played by Jamie Campbell Bower, was mentioned in the series as early
as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (in a deleted scene).
In a recent video, actor Ezra Miller refers to the historical events in which
Dumbledore won the Elder Wand in a famous duel with Grindelwald. Miller
states: "It was considered one of the most significant turning points in magical
history. Fantastic Beasts takes place in 1926, which was around the time
Grindelwald was beginning his attacks across Europe."

4) Albus Dumbledore

Fantastic Beasts director David Yates, who has also signed on to direct the
second installment, has confirmed that Dumbledore will appear in the sequel.
The future Hogwarts headmaster even gets a mention in an interrogation scene,
when Percival Graves asks of Newt Scamander: "I wonder what makes Albus
Dumbledore so fond of you."

5) The Lestrange family

In Fantastic Beasts, there are a couple of brief moments in which a

photograph of Leta Lestrange is seen, played by Zoe Kravitz. Newt and Leta
were close friends at Hogwarts but had a falling out. The name Lestrange will be
familiar to Harry Potter fans due to the wicked witch Bellatrix Lestrange, a
fanatic follower of Voldemort who was played in the movies by Helena Bonham
Carter.
Bellatrix married into the Lestrange name, which was infamous before her
time. Many of the wealthy, pure-blood wizarding family practiced the Dark Arts
and supported Voldemort during the wizarding wars. One boy, simply named
Lestrange, was born in 1926 – the year in which Fantastic Beasts is set – and
was a member of the troubled Tom Riddle’s gang at Hogwarts, eventually

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becoming one of Voldemort’s first followers. He was seen in a flashback in
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

6) Erumpent

The Rhinoceros-like Erumpent makes an appearance in Fantastic Beasts. But

it was previously mentioned by Hermione Granger in the book Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows. The bright student identified the horn of an
Erumpent in the house of Xenophilius Lovegood and warned him to get rid of it,
knowing it had explosive properties. Unfortunately, Lovegood did not heed her
warning and it ended up blowing up a large part of his house.

7) Bowtruckle

The small but dangerous guardians of wand-wood trees, of which

magizoologist Newt Scamander is known to be particularly fond of, have
previously been referenced in the Harry Potter universe. The only film in which
they get a mention is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in which Hagrid
tells Harry: “I brought you here 16 years ago when you were no bigger than a
bowtruckle.” But the twig-like creatures have also been seen in video games
including LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4.

8) Niffler

These mole-like creatures with a penchant for shiny things featured in the
book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when Hagrid gave them to his
students to help them find Leprechaun gold. They also made an appearance
during Dolores Umbridge’s time as Hogwarts headmistress, when student Lee
Jordan placed two Nifflers in her office to wreak havoc.

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9) Eddie Redmayne as Tom Marvolo Riddle

Eddie Redmayne takes the lead as magizoologist Newt Scamander in

Fantastic Beasts. But the Oscar-winning actor had hoped to enter the wizarding
world nearly 15 years ago.
While still at university, Eddie Redmayne auditioned to play the young
Voldemort, Tom Riddle, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. When
that failed, he hoped to be cast as a Weasley brother. But while his friends and
peers Domhnall Gleeson and Robert Pattinson won Potter parts, it was not to be
for Redmayne. Until now.

10) Hufflepuff

As seen in this picture, Newt Scamander wears the yellow and black scarf of
Hufflepuff, the house at Hogwarts whose members are described as just, loyal
and unafraid of toil. Famous members of Hufflepuff include Cedric Diggory,
played by Robert Pattinson in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, who came to
a tragic end.

11) The Marauder's Map

Newt Scamander has previously been seen on screen in the Harry Potter
movies but not as you might expect. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban, Weasley brothers Fred and George gift Harry with the Marauder’s
Map, which reveals the whereabouts of notable people in Hogwarts.
Those of keen eye would have spotted the name Newt Scamander (near the
bottom right in this picture). It was very likely a fun Easter egg for fans. But,
despite being in his late 90s by this time, it is feasible he was visiting his old
friend Dumbledore.

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ACTIVITIES

I.Mark the following statements as true or false.

1. J. K. Rowling wrote the script of Fantastic Beasts to raise money for Comic
Relief. ___

2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them features illustrations by the author
herself. ___

3. The Deathly Hallows symbol was adopted first by Voldemort and after by
Grindelwald. ___

4. In a deleted scene of the Harry Potter movies, the character of Credence

Barebone had already been introduced to the magical universe. ___

5. The duel between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald is considered to

be one of the most significant turning points in magical history. ___

6. The character of Albus Dumbledore was confirmed while production was

shooting the first Fantastic Beasts movie. __

7. The Lestrange family was one of the first to join Voldemort in his cause. ___

8. Luna Lovegood's dad used to have an Erumpent at home and that ended up
badly. ___

9. When Harry didn't know much about Hogwarts and magic, Hagrid compared
him with a bowtruckle because of his tiny size. ___

10. Lee Jordan took a Niffler into professor Severus Snape's office as an act of
revenge after he had been too strict with the Gryffindor House during one of his
Potions classes. ___

11. Eddie Redmayne originally auditioned to play Mr. Weasley but he was
rejected then. ___

12. Newt Scamander visited the castle of Hogwarts while Harry Potter was
attending as a student. ___

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II. Match the following expressions extracted from the text with their
definitions.

EXPRESSION MEANING
a. conjure 1. sth that cannot be defeated or conquered
b. sow seeds 2. evil or morally bad in principle or practice
c. offer insight 3. create confusion or generate destruction
d. unbeatable 4. scatter sprouts over land to grow plants
e. duel 5. a strong interest or liking for something
f. wicked 6. provide the perception of the true nature of sth
g. heed 7. make, produce or cause to appear by magic
h. wreak havoc 8. give careful attention to sth or sb
i. penchant 9. a fight between two people with deadly weapons

III. Pick five of the expressions above and write sentences about Harry Potter
and Fantastic Beasts.

1. _____________________________________________________
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2. _____________________________________________________
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3. _____________________________________________________
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4. _____________________________________________________
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5. _____________________________________________________
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