Fantastic Beasts Theory: How the Maledictus is Linked to the Harry Potter Universe

In November 2017, we learned more about the new characters that we are going to meet in Fantastic Beats: The Crimes of Grindelwald, including the young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), the beautiful Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz), and Newt's older brother, Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner). But we were even more curious to learn about an unnamed character played by Claudia Kim.

The only thing we know about her is that she is a Maldictus, described as "the carrier of a blood curse that destines her ultimately to transform into a beast," as it is possible to read on Pottermore. It appears to be different to being an Animagus, as this character doesn't choose to turn into an animal, and this is nothing compared to the werewolf, who is already known worldwide with another name and only transforms during the full moon. According to the website, the word "Mal" means "Bad" and the word "Dictus" means "To speak" in Latin, which gives a new meaning to the curse.

The first time a blood curse was mentioned was in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Draco said to Harry:

"We were capable of having children but Astoria was frail. A blood malediction, as serious one. An ancestor was cursed... It showed up in her. You know how these things can resurface after generations."

We know that Scorpius lost his mother, but we don't really know what really killed her, if she even died. Could this be a Maledictus? Many people believed that it was, and we are finally going to hear some explanations in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. But even though a grown-up Harry Potter could have met the husband of a Maledictus, we think that Claudia Kim's character could be even more important in the story.

So we know that this character is going to be transformed into a beast, but we don't know which one, as this is probably going to be part of the climax of the second Fantastic Beasts movie. But fans who couldn't wait for 2018 started thinking about this and started agreeing on one point: she is probably going to become a snake.

The Maledictus is a snake.

We do know that we will have the chance to enter a magic circus owned by Skender (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) and this intriguing character is one of the main attractions. And Hypable reported that the film's art team had already designed a circus because it was originally intended for the first Fantastic Beasts movie. One of the main attraction of Circus Arcanus - Museum of Human Oddities was The Enchanting Snake Girl, with the drawing of a snake wrapped around a woman. People think that this woman is actually Claudia Kim's character, as she is wearing a snake-like outfit in the picture of the cast.

After all, snakes are an important part of the Harry Potter universe. They are often associated with evil, as only dark wizards (or those who have the soul of a dark wizard inside them) know how to talk to snakes, better known as Parseltongue. It included a giant Basilisk in the girl's lavatory that almost killed many students at the school after being brought by Salazar Slytherin and controlled by Tom Riddle. It is also the symbol of the Slytherin house at Hogwarts, also associated with some of the most feared wizards of all time. It wouldn't be a surprise if any dark wizard would be inspired to turn a young woman into a snake with a curse.

But in the wizarding school in America, Ilvermony, we can also find another symbol of a snake: the house of the Horned Serpent. In the story that you can read on Pottermore, Isolt Sayre, the founder of Ilvermony, had the power to understand what the terrifying beast was saying to her. The snake kept saying:

"Until I am part of your family, your family is doomed."

But Isolt had no family and did not understand the message. Could it be a way for the snake to talk about the blood curse?

We would also learn that Isolt Sayre owned the wand that used to belong to Salazar Slytherin and contained a fragment of a magical snake's horn: a Basilisk. The wand, who also had the ability to sleep when instructed, had also been handed down through centuries to each member of Slytherin's family who possessed it. Isolt is also known as the offspring of two pure-blood families, and her aunt was Gormlaith Gaunt, who shares a last name with Merope Gaunt, Tom Riddle's mother. This would explain why Isolt knew how to talk to snakes. As Claudia Kim's characters remain unnamed, it is possible that she is actually hiding a dark secret: she is actually one of the descendants of Salazar Slytherin.

There are four houses at Ilvermony: the Horned Serpent, Wampus, Thunderbird, and Pukwudgie, based on the favorite fantastic beasts of Isolt's family members. The Thunderbird was featured at the end of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as it helped obliviate the population after they witnessed way too much magic. It led fans to think that each fantastic beast that inspired the Ilvermony houses will be featured in the first four movies, and the Horned Serpent could be the hero of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. But some fans think that this snake already got a lot of attention in another movie.

Nagini is a Maledictus.

And this leads us to how Claudia Kim's character is associated with the Harry Potter universe. Many people think that she transformed into a snake who was later adopted by Lord Voldemort, Nagini. After all, that snake is female, and we always knew that she had that little something special.

We never knew how Voldemort got a snake. The only thing we know is that she was turned into a horcrux in May 1998, after her master killed Bertha Jorkins, and was killed by Neville Longbottom the same year. The Dark Lord had a special bond with her, which could not only be explained by the fact that she protected a part of his soul, but also that she was part of his family, following the idea that she is one of Salazar Slytherin's descendants. That would also explain why her name wasn't revealed, as she could have been called Nagini.

We know that Nagini is not a snake like any other. After all, Voldemort wouldn't turn a snake with a short life expectancy into a horcrux, unless he knew that she could live as long as any wizard. Voldemort also used her venom to regain strength during his rebirth, so she must have something that all the other snakes didn't have. Maybe she has actually given him something that only a family member could offer. Moreover, when she attacked Arthur Weasley, her venom had something weird that made the injuries hard to heal, which would explain once again that she was not a snake like any other.

This would also explain why it was so easy for Dumbledore to guess that Voldemort had turned Nagini into a horcrux: he knew who she actually was, as he is part of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Some fans would think that Dumbledore wouldn't try to kill anyone, even if she is an Animagus, but let's not forget that he also accepted that the young Harry Potter had to die because he was a horcrux.

Even though we know that Tom Riddle can talk to snakes, he has more control over Nagini than any other creature. It could be explained by the theory that she used to be a human, which makes it easier for her to understand his plans and strategies. The reason why she would have turned out to be so evil would be to stay faithful to her ancestors, as Voldemort was the last heir of Slytherin. But this would lead her to a terrible ending, killed by Neville Longbottom during the Battle of Hogwarts.

And what do you think? Will Claudia Kim's character be transformed into a snake? Do you think that she could even be Nagini?

For more information about Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, make sure you read Fantastic Beasts 2: 7 Things Harry Potter Fans Expect to See.