Even though Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, there are still characters in both Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter related to one another. Now that there are eleven films in the Wizarding World saga, the franchise's on-screen timeline is teeming with rich lore, complex characters, and a well-established canon. In many cases, these fully realize both the past, present, and future of the Wizarding World, effectively linking both timelines together.

With the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, the Fantastic Beasts franchise now has a trilogies-worth of Harry Potter prequel characters. This established a more cohesive Wizarding World packed with new context that helps make the Harry Potter franchise even richer. This includes its ever-growing character base, some of who share surprising connections. Unfortunately, Fantastic Beasts 4 doesn't look like it'll happen, but here are all the characters related to one another in both Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts.

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Bathilda Bagshot & Gellert Grindelwald

The Great Aunt Of The Fantastic Beasts Villain Appears In The Deathly Hallows

Bathilda Bagshot was a relatively minor Harry Potter character, though she was related to an incredibly important one from Fantastic Beasts. Bagshot is the author of A History Of Magic, one of several key Hogwarts textbooks mentioned in the Harry Potter franchise (another being, of course, Newt Scamander's own book Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them). She appears in the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Her appearance is a tragic one, however, as she's actually a corpse animated by Voldemort in order to set a trap for Harry.

This is a relatively minor connection, but it shows just how interconnected the characters of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts truly are.

Being part of the Dark Lords plans isn't the only connection Bagshot shares with a dark wizard, however. The Wizarding World is a small one, and many characters that crop up are distant relatives. This is the case with Bathilda Bagshot and the antagonist of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, Gellert Grindelwald. Grindelwald, the most feared dark wizard outside Voldemort himself, is Bathilda Bagshot's great nephew. This is a relatively minor connection, but it shows just how interconnected the characters of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts truly are.

Anthony Goldstein & The Goldstein Sisters

Tina And Queenie Have A Distant Relative In Harry's Year At Hogwarts

The Goldstein sisters, Tina and Queenie Goldstein, were two of the best characters introduced to the franchise in the Fantastic Beasts prequels. However, despite being American wizards with seemingly no connection to Hogwarts, at least one of their relatives had already appeared in the Harry Potter books, albeit in a "blink and you'll miss it" capacity.

Anthony Goldstein is Ravenclaw who started Hogwarts the same year as Harry, Ron, and Hermione in 1991. J.K. Rowling confirmed via a tweet that Anthony is indeed a distant relative of Queenie and Tina from Fantastic Beasts. Anthony doesn't appear much in Harry Potter, with his first named appearance in Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix. He later s Dumbledore's Army.

Aberforth Dumbledore & Aurelius Dumbledore

Dumbledore's Nephew Is A Key Fantastic Beasts Character

In Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, it is revealed that Aberforth Dumbledore (Richard Coyle), the younger brother of Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), fathered a son with a woman from Godric's Hallow. This son turns out to be one of the Fantastic Beasts characters, Credence Barebone, born Aurelius Dumbledore, son to Aberforth, and nephew to Albus. While not much is known about Aurelius's mother, Albus tells Newt Scamander that she was "sent away," assuming she took the infant Aurelius with her.

Since the two brothers were emotionally distant, Aberforth doesn't share that he's fathered a long-lost child with anyone. Albus realizes the relation between Credence and Aberforth when the ashes of Credence's phoenix fall onto his suit coat, all while Aberforth communicates with this son by way of the mirror in the Hog's Head. Aberforth is reunited with his son after the confrontation with Grindelwald. During Fantastic Beasts 3' emotional climax, Aurelius asks Aberforth if he's ever thought of his son, to which he replies with the infamous Severus Snape line "Always."

Bellatrix Lestrange & Leta Lestrange

Bellatrix Married Into Leta's Family

Though it is safe to assume Bellatrix (Helena Bonham Carter) and Leta (Zoë Kravitz) are related due to their shared surname, the Lestrange family tree is much more convoluted than it initially appears. Though Bellatrix was originally born into the Black family, she eventually married Rodolphus Lestrange, with the pair's potential blood relation throwing a spanner in the works. Rodolphus' ancestor, Radolphus Lestrange, served as Minister for Magic from 1835 to 1841.

In Corvus Lestrange IV (Keith Chanter) is introduced, residing in during the 1920s and dying shortly after sending his daughter Leta and son Corvus away from the country — which means there's a disconnect in the Lestrange family tree between the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films.

There is another possible version of the Lestrange lineage in the bloodline of Cyrille Lestrange I, with Cyrille and his brother, Corvus I, being Leta Lestrange's great-great-grandfather.

There is another possible version of the Lestrange lineage in the bloodline of Cyrille Lestrange I, with Cyrille and his brother, Corvus I, being Leta Lestrange's great-great-grandfather. Cyrille's lineage ended with Nozéa Lestrange in 1927, who was unmarried and without children. Rodolphus might have descended from this line of Lestrange's, but he isn't shown on the Lestrange family tree seen in The Crimes of Grindewald (even though he served as Minister for Magic during the mid-1800s).

The family tree seen in the sequel film spans the 1700s to the 1900s, so, in theory, Rodolphus should appear, though he may have been removed as a blood traitor given he went on to become Minister of Magic (like Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter), much like Sirius Black was from his family tree in the original Harry Potter timeline. While there are not yet any canonical relationships between Leta, Bellatrix, and Rodolphus at the time being, Lestrange remains a very familiar surname in the Wizarding World and could yet be explored in the fourth installment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

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Multiple Harry Potter Characters & Leta Lestrange

Being related to Bellatrix Lestrange also means that Leta is, albeit distantly, related to multiple other Harry Potter characters too. In fact, it's safe to say that Leta is the most connected to the characters in Harry Potter out of all of those introduced in Fantastic Beasts due to this single connection. Bellatrix is related, either by blood or by merit to her marriage to Rudolphus, to many other Harry Potter characters which means, by extension, Leta Lestrange is too.

Harry Potter Character

Relationship To Bella Lestrange

Narcissa Malfoy

Sister

Draco Malfoy

Nephew

Sirius Black

Cousin

Nymphadora Tonks

Niece

Vincent Crabbe

Distant Paternal Relative

Nagini (The Cursed Child)

Daughter

While many of these connections are incredibly distant when it comes to Leta Lestrange, it does mean that she'd appear on their family trees. As various moments in the Harry Potter books and movies proved, the wizarding world — especially when it comes to pureblood families — take their family trees incredibly seriously. In marrying Rudolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix ensured that the Fantastic Beasts character would appear somewhere on the family trees of multiple wizarding households, including the Malfoys, Blacks, and Crabbes.

Lord Voldemort & Nagini

Voldemort And Nagini Share An Unexplained Connection

In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Nagini (Claudia Kim) is re-introduced as a woman who is kept captive in the Circus Arcanus by its ringmaster, Skender (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson). She eventually leaves this twisted circus to help her friend, Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), find his family.

It is subsequently revealed that Nagini is a Maledictus, whose blood curse will permanently transform her into a snake. Fantastic Beasts 3, so her future in the Fantastic Beasts franchise is uncertain. Her portrayal in the films is as a kind, loyal friend who refutes Gellert Grindewald's influence on Credence, imploring him to stay with her instead of ing the dark wizard.

This doesn't necessarily align with her eventual relationship with Lord Voldemort, so warrants further explanation. It's apparent that she eventually succumbs to the curse and s Voldemort in his quest for power, becoming his loyal servant and eventual Horcrux. However, exactly how Nagini ends up refuting one dark wizard in favor of another is left unexplained by the end of the third Fantastic Beasts entry.

The connection that Voldemort and Nagini share is unbreakable. The two harbor a deeply personal bond. Voldemort possesses her to attack Arthur Weasley at the Ministry of Magic, and it is Nagini's venom that helps keep Voldemort alive. If the two other Fantastic Beasts films are greenlit, Nagini's story could be a pivotal plot point in the future.

Luna Lovegood & Newt Scamander

Luna Becomes Newt's Granddaughter-In-Law

Before the release of the first film, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Newt Scamander was simply known as the author of the book by the same name which was recommended reading for Hogwarts students in their first year of school. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) purchase their copies of Newt's book at Flourish & Blotts, and the character isn't mentioned further.

However, J.K Rowling does bring up the surname Scamander once again after the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows after Rowling confirmed what happened to Luna Lovegood after Harry Potter. Rowling states that Luna ends up marrying Rolf Scamander, grandson to both Newt and Porpentina Scamander (née Goldstein). Rolf followed his grandfather's footsteps and became a magizoologist himself, eventually falling in love with Luna. This makes Luna Lovegood the great-daughter-in-law of both Newt and Tina Scamander, further cementing another prestigious family lineage in the Harry Potter canon.

Quentin Kowalski & Queenie Goldstein & Jacob Kowalski

Quentin Kowalski was an American wizard who played as a Chaser for the 2014 American National Quidditch team, written about by Ginny Potter in an issue of the Daily Prophet. He may share a relationship with Queenie (Alison Sudol) and Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), given the three share the same surname. At the end of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Jacob and Queenie get married despite their marriage violating the Rappaport's Law previously established in the first Fantastic Beasts.

While it's not established whether Jacob and Queenie have any children, it's an easy assumption to make, given the two of them share a lot of love for each other and the world around them. While still unconfirmed, Quentin Kowalski may indeed be a part of Queenie's and Jacob's ending after all following their Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore coda.

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There Are Several Connections That Are Theorized

There is one of the Fantastic Beasts characters that could link several prominent wizarding families together: Credence Barebone. Since no one knows anything about Credence's mother, rumors and theories have been flying about who the woman could've been, and who she was related to. Audiences know that the Dumbledores grew up in Godric's Hollow, the same neighborhood that the Potters lived in, and a popular wizarding borough in general.

It's stated in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore that Aberforth met a girl from "the village". This means Credence's Mom also comes from magical stock. Since Rowling is bringing back a lot of Harry Potter surnames to the Fantastic Beasts franchise, Credence could be related to some like Merope Gaunt (mother to Tom Riddle/Voldemort) or Severus Snape, who also share ties to that time/place in the canon.

Since nothing is known about Credence's mother, other than that she was a witch from Godric's Hollow, much of the guesswork regarding his parentage comes down to the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts timelines and narrative links. A lot of parallels, for example, have been made between Snape and Credence since Fantastic Beasts 3 gave him a Snape-like makeover.

Snape's surname was taken from his muggle father, Tobias Snape, while his magical lineage comes from his mother's side, Eileen Prince. It's possible that Credence's mother could've been a Prince, given the striking resemblance Snape bore to his mother and Credence has to Severus.

The other major theory floating around is that Credence is related to the Gaunt family, aka Voldemort's magical lineage. Credence's mother would've also been Merope's mother, given that Merope was born 7 years after him. Nothing is really known about her mother, but the unlikely to be made Fantastic Beasts 4 or 5 could be set around the time that Tom Riddle was just entering Hogwarts.

This means that the Voldemort/Dumbledore relationship could be explored in the movies — if they were to happen. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore luckily avoided breaking canon by making Credence Aberforth's son, but it doesn't mean that J.K. Rowling could be reaching for another connection in the unlikely installments.

Fantastic Beasts' Harry Potter Connections Hurt The Franchise

Some Felt That The Connections Became Too Convoluted

With Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore likely to be the last installment to the overall franchise, there's no better time to explore exactly where the series went wrong — and that reasoning could lie in its Harry Potter connections.

While it's quite a treat to see familiar names and faces pop up from Fantastic Beasts' predecessor, some of these resulted in breaking Harry Potter canon. For starters, there was Minerva McGonagall. The much younger Transfiguration teacher first appeared in The Crimes of Grindelwald, and given that she already had a clearly defined backstory as written by Rowling, her presence blatantly broke canon.

Dumbledore was also a major thread that connected Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter, and while his presence was necessary if Grindelwald was the villain, his character essentially hijacked the series from Newt, with the third movie's title all but confirming this. Had he been introduced earlier on in the prequels it may not have been as big an issue, but it became one nonetheless.

Finally, Nagini's character was one of the most distracting aspects of The Crimes of Grindelwald. This weird Harry Potter twist of turning Voldemort's most treasured companion into a human woman with a blood curse, and also Credence's friend, seemed like a reach. Other connections like that of the Lestrange family were too confusing in their subplots, making the connective tissue between Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter seem contrived. While these points weren't wholly responsible for tanking Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, they didn't do the dying franchise any favors.

How Important Are These Connections?

Most Of These Connections Are Unimportant

Claudia Kim as Nagini in Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald

When it comes to the details of the story playing out in the Fantastic Beasts movies, most of the familial connections are unimportant. The connections between Leta Lestrange and so many characters, for example, simply show how small the magical community can really be, but they don’t influence the story, and only appear to complicate connections. The same is true for the reveal that the Goldstein sisters are potentially related to Anthony Goldstein, a character who has virtually no storyline in Harry Potter’s movies and books.

The more interesting connections are the ones that aren’t explored in the movies, like the one between Nagini and Voldemort. It makes her backstory all the more confusing and seemingly hurts the character now, but there was also likely a planned story arc to explain her turn away from one dark wizard to embrace another a few decades later. With the likely cancelation of any more Fantastic Beasts stories, it seems her story may not be told unless it’s told in another medium.

Also worth exploring would have been Credence’s familial connections to the Wizarding World outside of Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore being such a central figure in Harry’s story and this one makes the world seem very small. Getting to understand more of Credence’s other relatives would have expanded it.

Seeing the connections to Harry Potter characters in the Fantastic Beasts movies as Easter eggs would have been more than enough to intrigue fans without placing importance on them, but the missed opportunities are there.