In a teaser for the latest Fantastic Beasts movie, the Harry Potter universe has finally confirmed the romantic relationship between two characters.
Once the initial book arc concluded in 2007, Rowling revealed that she intended archnemeses Dumbledore and Grindewald to be ex-lovers, though that was only vaguely alluded to in the text.
The Fantastic Beasts universe takes place in the early 19th century when the two men were still relatively young, but Grindelwald is beginning his rampage to "burn down their world." He pleads with Dumbledore to join his side. "It was you who said we could reshape the world," he says. "It’s what we said we’d do.”
Dumbledore then says those three words to justify his actions then and now. "Because I was in love with you."
This is the first time canonically that Dumbledore has explicitly nodded to his sexuality and feelings for Grindewald.
That "win" might feel a bit diluted as Rowling herself has outed herself as a TERF in recent years, repeatedly going after transgender people and their rights on social media. Many LGBTQ+ fans struggle to juggle the transphobic rhetoric of the author with the iconic franchise we grew up loving.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore premieres April 15 in theaters. Watch the trailer below:
