The Harry Potter franchise sets itself apart from the regular world not only by magic but how its users apply that magic for everyday use. For example, the Weasleys use magic to make life easier in terms of house cleaning and operations of vehicles like cars. Others have used magic and alchemy to create wands that literally have minds of their own. Now, one particularly special item is set to return in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, but its presence may be setting up even greater events in the franchise.
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team, a league of broomstick riding athletes who compete against other houses and schools in a competition unlike anything a Muggle has ever seen. Harry’s position was the Seeker. His one job was to look out for the Golden Snitch, a small ball with wings that’s hard to see and even harder to catch. That said, should the Seeker get their hands on it, they would automatically end, and in most cases, win, the game. This same game piece appears in the latest trailer for Fantastic Beasts 3, but not just in a Quidditch game. Instead, it appears in the hands of Albus Dumbledore.
The snitch and Dumbledore are nowhere near a Quidditch field during the scene. However, considering the audience’s history with the item, it’s clear that this particular snitch carries a deep meaning and connection to Dumbledore. While the secrets that it holds aren’t totally understood, there are some hints as to what they may be. But to understand them, the truth may lie in the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Following Dumbledore’s death, Harry was gifted the Golden Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch game with an inscription that read, “I open at the close.” This message only appeared when the snitch touched Harry’s mouth, and when he realized this meant sacrificing himself to Voldemort, after learning he was a Horcrux, its true secret was revealed. In actuality, the snitch carried the Resurrection Stone, which Harry used to speak to his lost loved ones who helped him go through with his sacrifice, allowing him to ultimately defeat Voldemort. Dumbledore found the stone embedded in a ring in his later years, which became the catalyst of the curse that was slowly killing him. He wanted to use the ring to see his long-lost sister, Ariana, once again.
Since Dumbledore didn’t get the stone until well after the events of Fantastic Beasts, it’s unlikely that the snitch shown in the trailer carries the Deathly Hallow. But it may serve a similar purpose to what he used it for with Harry. Rather than conceal the Resurrection Stone, the snitch may instead be a clever means of sending information to other allies, similar to carrier pigeons during World War I. Since there is a silent war boiling over in the Wizarding World, a snitch could be the fastest and safest means of getting information to one another. This would also mirror how Dumbledore used his trustiest item to get important information to special individuals, even after his death.
Dumbledore has proven time and again that he’s one of the most resourceful wizards in the Harry Potter franchise. While the snitch’s main purpose in Fantastic Beasts 3 still needs to be revealed, it still shows off an essential aspect of his character. Dumbledore still misses his little sister and will try anything to see her again, even dance with death, leading to his demise in the future. The snitch is a promise of things to be revealed and also a warning of what’s to come for the character, making it one of the biggest surprises in the new trailer.
To see what role the Golden Snitch plays, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore releases on April 15.
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