Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
One of the biggest revelations of The Crimes of Grindelwald, he thinks he's found it, but as it turns out, Credence isn't Corvus Lestrange as many had thought. It's left to Grindelwald to tell Credence his birth name: Aurelius Dumbledore. Thanks to Grindelwald's manipulation, Credence chooses to side with the dark wizard against his own family. He does, however, eventually reunite with his father, Aberforth Dumbledore.
Since Grindelwald wasn't lying about Credence Barebone being Aurelius Dumbledore, it meant that there is a long-lost Dumbledore family member in the Harry Potter timeline that many knew nothing about. People know that Albus, Aberforth, and Ariana Dumbledore were raised together and that Ariana became an Obscurial after she was attacked, at age 6, by three Muggle boys. Percival Dumbledore retaliated and was sentenced to life in Azkaban as a result. Ariana was later killed by either Albus, Aberforth, or Grindelwald when they were fighting, and a stray curse hit her.
Credence being significantly younger than the other three Dumbledore siblings raised the question of who his parents really are and what other connections he has. The Fantastic Beasts franchise now explores who Credence is related to and who Credence's birth father was. Here's who Aurelius Dumbledore's parentage is linked to, and whether or not he belongs to Voldemort's family, as revealed by the Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts 3.
Credence's Father Is Not Percival Dumbledore
Fantastic Beasts 3 reveals that Credence is Aberforth Dumbledore's illegitimate son. Since Grindelwald was telling Credence the truth about his name being Aurelius Dumbledore, it seemed logical that he's one of Albus Dumbledore's siblings. Not only does his birth name start with an "A," like all Dumbledore siblings, but many haven't heard of any extended family on Albus' side. It was at first thought that the family connection comes from Percival Dumbledore. However, Fantastic Beasts 3 revealed that this was not the case. Not only that, but Percival was in Azkaban at the time of Credence's birth, and Kendra was already dead.
Kendra Dumbledore, the mother of the other three Dumbledore siblings, was killed in 1899 by Ariana when she couldn't control her Obscurus. Credence wasn't born until 1901, thereby ruling out Kendra as his mother. Meanwhile, Percival Dumbledore was serving life in Azkaban for attacking the three Muggle boys. He refused to reveal his motives for the attack, because, as an Obscurial, Ariana would have been locked away. If Credence were a Dumbledore sibling, Percival would've somehow conceived him while in Azkaban – but The Secrets Of Dumbledore revealed that something else was afoot. Fantastic Beasts 3 unveiled Aurelius Dumbledore's parentage to be that of Aberforth Dumbledore. As it turned out, Aberforth had an illegitimate son when he was young – Credence Barebone/Aurelius Dumbledore.
Who Is Credence's Real Mother?
Fantastic Beasts 3 doesn't let on any more information about who Credence's birth mother is or his birth. In fact, uncovering the secrets of Credence's true identity lies at the heart of the Fantastic Beasts series and finally draws to a close during Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. It's stated that Credence was born in 1901. That would tie in with Leta Lestrange being around the age of 6 or 7 when she swapped the babies and made him about 26 years old during the events of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The timeline confusion doesn't make Credence's possible heritage easier for people to understand. Nor do any of the secrets that Dumbledore holds close to the chest.
If Credence had been conceived in Azkaban (which is impossible), then that meant his mother was most likely sentenced there, making her a witch. Credence may well be related to Voldemort, but it would have to be through Voldemort's grandmother. That also means the mystery woman must've had a second child: Merope Gaunt, born in 1907. It's entirely possible that Aberforth could have sired a child with Voldemort's grandmother. Her identity is never revealed in the Harry Potter series. Too, she was a pureblood witch who would've gone to Hogwarts around the same time as Aberforth, only strengthening the connection. Fantastic Beasts 3 finally reveals who his father is, but little is said about Credence's mother.
How Credence Could Be Related To Voldemort
Given Fantastic Beasts 3's Credence reveal and the numerous connections that Fantastic Beasts has to Harry Potter, it's not much of a reach to guess that Voldemort is connected to Fantastic Beasts in some way – that's most likely to be via his parentage. The Harry Potter universe is full of dark magical families of note, such as the Malfoy and the Gaunt families, as well as the Lestrange family. Thanks to Leta, the Lestranges were already a part of the Fantastic Beasts universe, and the second installment revealed that Aurelius Dumbledore is not related to them. Lucius Malfoy's ancestry is easily traceable in the Harry Potter universe, and he descends from an old, wealthy wizarding family who have not yet appeared in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. With his dark hair and features, Aurelius Dumbledore is extremely unlikely to be part of the pure-blood Malfoy line. Voldemort is also not the child of Grindelwald, since his father is famously known to be Tom Riddle.
Given his powerful magic, which has turned into an Obscurus thanks to its forced suppression, Aurelius Dumbledore could well have descended from the Gaunt line. Which, in turn, descended from the great (and very powerful) Salazar Slytherin. Voldemort's grandfather, Marvolo, was abusive, bigoted, and violent. Years of inbreeding had led to a whole host of mercurial personalities in the Gaunt family. Not much is known about Merope's life, but it's known she lived in a shack with her father and brother. There is no single mention of her mother, but Voldemort's grandfather liked to keep it in the family. Aberforth could have fathered a child with a member of the Gaunt family, and Credence's mother could also be Merope's mother. Merope was born in 1907, just six years after Aurelius Dumbledore. She died in childbirth at age 19. Tom Riddle, who became Voldemort, was raised in an orphanage until Dumbledore took him to Hogwarts. This is the only way that Credence could be related to Voldemort.
What Fantastic Beasts 3 Tells Us About Credence’s Family
Voldemort's family comes from a long, pureblooded line, as did Aurelius Dumbledore's family. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore subverted expectations when it was shown that Aberforth was Aurelius' father and not Percival. Many assumed that Grindelwald was lying about who Credence is related to, which led to countless theories about his parentage after The Crimes of Grindelwald. Just because people know who Credence's father is, it doesn't shake the mysterious questions of who Credence's mother is and whether Credence is related to Voldemort.
While it may not be wholly plausible, it's certainly possible that Aberforth's relationship was with Merope Gaunt's mother. Considering they both could have been around the same age, and at Hogwarts around the same time, Credence's mother's identity is left entirely up to debate. The way that Fantastic Beasts 3 reveals Credence's father is nicely done when it comes to connecting the mystery of Aurelius Dumbledore to his family. However, his mother's identity isn't explored in The Secrets of Dumbledore, and neither is Lord Voldemort's family.
How This Twist Makes Harry Potter Better
If Credence's mother also gave birth to Merope Gaunt, it would improve the Harry Potter canon. The twist would require some artistic license and a stretch of the imagination, but that can be said about most of J.K. Rowling's twists in The Secrets of Dumbledore (Nagini's origins, McGonagall being a professor in 1937, and Credence's parentage come to mind). It would make Aurelius Dumbledore Albus' nephew and Voldemort's uncle. Dumbledore already knows how powerful Credence can be, and he's had experience with Obscurials because of Ariana. One of the main reasons he wants Newt Scamander to catch Aurelius Dumbledore is for his safety, and in Fantastic Beasts 3, Credence is fighting against his own uncle as the head of Grindelwald's army. In later years, Dumbledore wants to bring Tom Riddle to Hogwarts to refine and nurture his powerful magic – he's scared of what he'll do otherwise. If it turns out he knows about Voldemort's family, it makes even more sense that he would fear this eleven-year-old boy. He's seen what he could become.
Not only does it explain more about why Dumbledore feared Tom Riddle so much, but it also gives some point and purpose to Credence. With such a big emphasis on him and the revelation about his Dumbledore heritage leading up to Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore's ending, it makes sense that Credence is actually the major player in the whole franchise. Fans know the duel is coming between Grindelwald and Dumbledore, now that the blood pact has been broken. There needs to be a purpose leading up to Credence Barebone's death, other than just being a Dumbledore, and his connection to Voldemort is almost certainly it.
Fantastic Beasts Faces An Uncertain Future And May Never Reveal Credence’s Mother
The possibility for Fantastic Beasts 4 is starting to look slimmer and slimmer. It was initially decided that the Fantastic Beasts franchise would be a five-movie set, which would end with the epic battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald – a battle worthy enough to be recorded on Albus Dumbledore's chocolate frog card. After the failure of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the idea was tossed around that if the third movie didn't perform well enough, there might not be room for a fourth and fifth. A lot of work was done to make sure this didn't happen. Johnny Depp's Grindelwald was famously recast with Mads Mikkelsen. The new version certainly did wonders for the third installment, as his performance in the role was a definitive highlight. Studios even brought back Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves to iron out J.K. Rowling's mistakes from the previous installments.
Unfortunately, none of this was enough to save Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. After a short theatrical release, the movie is already heading to HBO Max, which doesn't bode well for the franchise. The Rotten Tomatoes score for the film sits at a mediocre 47% among critics, and a decent 83% among audiences. Despite this strange deviation in scores, the third Fantastic Beasts movie didn't do well. In addition, director David Yates is already slated to work on another project, meaning the fourth movie isn't on the horizon soon. Therefore, while Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore revealed who Credence's father is, viewers may never learn his true maternal lineage.
