A trailer for Fantastic Beasts 3: The Secrets of Dumbledore shows an intriguing twist that JK Rowling herself implicated was possible 22 years ago. Although the Fantastic Beasts series has been criticized for failing to add anything of substance to the existing Harry Potter saga, there's no doubt that the films allow fans a closer look at the lore that runs throughout both franchises. According to the trailer, the third installment confirms a longstanding theory concerning wand law that Rowling herself actually revealed two decades ago.

The Fantastic Beasts 3 trailer shows Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), a muggle who has always been involved in the adventures of Fantastic Beasts, being handed a wand to use in the fight against Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen). The Harry Potter universe has explored wand lore extensively, showing that wands are the most favored method in casting magic. Wands also have a powerful connection with the wizard who owns it, yet wands can also change ownership as displayed with all the Elder Wand owners. Also explored in the Harry Potter universe is the divide between wizards and muggles and the strained power struggle evidenced by prejudice against muggle-born wizards and Pureblood wizards fighting for control.

Related: Fantastic Beasts 3 Trailer Makes JK Rowling's Credit Barely Visible

Jacob receiving a wand after the age of 11 would seemingly confirm a long-standing theory that magical abilities can sometimes awaken years after what's commonly accepted. While Jacob has interacted with the Wizarding World quite extensively considering his muggle status, the trailer suggests it's possible that he himself will discover late-blooming magical abilities. In fact, despite seemingly flying in the face of what many audiences assume is possible within the world of Harry Potter, this was a development that Rowling herself teased upon publication of the first book in the series.

Fantastic Beasts muggles can cast magic jacobs wand

In a 1999 interview with Barnes and NobleRowling revealed that "Magic almost always shows itself in a person before age 11; however, there is a character who does manage in desperate circumstances to do magic quite late in life, but that is very rare in the world I am writing about." No such character in any published Harry Potter work has ever yet displayed magic past age 11. That said, giving a muggle like Jacob a wand doesn't render the wand immediately ineffective considering that there's a lot of cross in wizard-and-muggle bloodlines. Wizards can be born from muggle parents, muggles called Squibs can come from wizard parents, and Pottermore gives instances of muggles with wizard ancestors who have found brief success with wand usage.

That said, it's currently unclear exactly why Dumbledore wants Jacob to have a wand. While the trailer clearly shows Jacob holding the wand, even while spells appear to be happening around him, Jacob's wand never actually emits magic. It's possible that Jacob receives the wand for non-magical purposes, such as holding it for safekeeping or delivering the wand to someone that the other wizards might not have close access to. Again, why Dumbledore entrusts Jacob with any task regarding a wand still remains to be answered.

Harry Potter's future may move beyond JK Rowling, especially in light of her controversial remarks regarding transgender people, but her influence on the Wizarding World remains strong. Rowling produced and wrote all three Fantastic Beasts movies, working with Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves on Fantastic Beast 3's screenplay. Therefore, Rowling has significant oversight into what is canon in the Fantastic Beasts universe. Because Rowling hinted at magic latency in wizards before, Jacob can use a wand even for magical use in Fantastic Beasts 3: The Secrets of Dumbledore despite late-blooming wizards never appearing in the Harry Potter franchise before.

Next: JK Rowling Already Set Up A Fantastic Beast 3 Tragedy In 2006

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