We’re tripping out about this incredible “Harry Potter” theory linking Dementors to “Fantastic Beasts”

When Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was first announced as a prequel, of sorts, to Harry Potter, we were excited. And now after watching and rewatching the movie multiple times, we can proudly say that not only is Fantastic Beasts a prequel, it might answer some burning questions we’ve had about Harry Potter: such as, what exactly are the Dementors?

Fantastic Beasts provides a clue to the Dementors’ origins… and quite a chilling one, at that. In fact, Fantastic Beasts might also explain Dumbledore’s little sister’s tragic past. But before we go on, please note, spoilers follow.

So if you have no interest in this Harry Potter/ Fantastic Beasts fan theory, take out your Patronus and step out of the dark. Because things are going to get creepy.

After watching Fantastic Beasts, we can’t help but ask: was a Dementor born from an Obscuras?

An Obscurus, remember, is “the repressed energy of of a child, known as an Obscurial, who is forced to repress their magical talent through physical or psychological abuse.”

This energy can manifest itself as a separate entity that can erupt in violent, and incredibly destructive, fury. Remember what happened to Credence Barebon? How his energy almost destroyed New York? The Obscurial’s repressed magic often manifests itself into an often invisible, but sometimes black, formless, physical creation of destruction. Normally, most Obscurials die before the age of ten, which is why the much, much older Credence Barebon’s Obscurus was so much bigger and dangerous.

Now, remember all those creatures hiding in Newt’s briefcase in Fantastic Beasts? One of them was an Obscurus. The other wizards were shocked and frightened to see that Newt had successfully managed to keep an Obscurus alive even though its Obscurial died. When we see the Obscurus, it is a floating whisps of black, encased in a bubble. As Nerdist points out:

It’s imposing, birthed out of fear, anger, sadness, and self-hatred, a creature which is devoid of any and all hope, one that feeds and thrives on the emotions that can ruin a life. Just like Dementors.

Now, remember, we don’t know a lot about Dementors.  In fact, here’s what we know:

In addition to being giant, human-like monsters that can’t see, they guarded the wizard prison, Azkaban, for centuries, until deciding to follow Voldemort during the Second Wizarding War. But before their stint as prison guards, they already lived on the island of Azkaban; for a time, they even served another Dark Wizard who used the island as a torture-fortress.

So yeah, they’re terrifying, but their origins are pretty mysterious.

According to the creator herself, J.K. Rowling:

They don’t breed, but rather they grow like a fungus, but no one knows where they came from, only that seemingly do eventually die. It’s like they just formed one day, creatures that suck all positive emotions from anyone they come in contact with, and whose “kiss can suck the soul from someone, leaving them in a worst state than dead.

It doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to see the relation between an Obscurus and a Dementor! After all, if sweet Newt could gain control over an Obscurus, imagine what an evil Dark Wizard could do.

We guess we’ll just have to wait and see what J.K. Rowling has planned for us next. But we have a sneaking suspicion we haven’t seen the last of the Obscurus.

H/T to Nerdist.