Is Credence Barebone related to Dumbledore in ‘Harry Potter’?

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald leaving fans with a huge storm that not only upsets the lineage of one of the film’s most important characters, but raises questions surrounding the whole thing. Harry Potter Franchising.

In the film’s closing moments, Grindelwald reveals to Credence Barebone that his real name is in fact Aurelius Dumbledore and that he is the sibling of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

This alleged fact not only shocked audiences but also divided the community, who are still trying to process the reveal and determine if Credence Barebone is really Aurelius Dumbledore.

Is Credence Barebone related to Dumbledore?

It is difficult to make concrete judgments right now whether Credence Barebone is Aurelius Dumbledore, as it seems to fit the story told in Magical Creaturesbut makes absolutely no sense in the overarching history of Harry Potter Franchising.

Aurelius is said to be the long-lost brother of Albus Dumbledore, who was separated from his family while traveling on a ship to America after being traded by Leta Lestrange for his half-brother Corvus. After the ship capsized, Credence was taken to safety but was adopted as soon as they arrived in the US.

Over the years, Credence’s rough upbringing led to him developing an Obscurus and becoming the first surviving mage to become an Obscurial, which has provided him with incredibly powerful magic. While it would make sense for Dumbledore to be able to do this, there are some points in the original work Harry Potter the books dispute the existence of Aurelius Dumbledore.

The main point will be Dumbledore’s mother and the woman who will also be Aurelius’ mother, Kendra Dumbledore, who died in 1899, two years before Credence was born. This would rule out Credence/Aurelius as a secret half-brother to Albus. Also in Rita Skeeter The Life and Lies of Albus DumbledoreThere is no mention of any Aurelius, the only siblings Albus is known to have had are Aberforth and Ariana.

With key evidence contradicting the dramatic revelation at the end Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald, along with Grindelwald’s history of manipulation and lying, it’s possible he was deliberately tricking Credence so he could take down Albus Dumbledore. It’s also possible that he could actually be Aurelius Dumbledore and these plot holes are something the fandom will need to learn to live with.

We won’t know for sure until Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in theaters later this year.