Why Fantastic Beasts™ have always been an integral part of the Harry Potter franchise & we should embrace their centrality to the new film series - a chronological thread./1

The new wizarding world film series Fantastic Beasts is centred around protagonist Newt Scamander’s adventures, however some have suggested the series would do better to focus on alternative themes, moving away from this focus on magical creatures./2

Centering the series around these beasts & the adventures of a magizoologist, they argue, detracts from some of the more dramatic storylines such as those around Newt’s sidekicks Tina, Queenie & Jacob as well as Credence, Grindelwald, Dumbledore & the impending war./3

However, these critics seem to have failed to have noticed just how integral such magical creatures are to the Harry Potter series! In the following thread I take a chronological look at just how central magical beasts are to plot of the HP books./4

Philosopher’s Stone - there are almost too many beasts to count in the first book alone: Harry’s first proper encounter with the magical community is of course his unforgettable introduction to the wizarding world provided by half-giant (!) Hagrid./5

(PS)Then Harry’s first visit to Gringotts provides us with our first encounter of goblins, several of which play important roles in the series-including Griphook, Bogrod & Prof Flitwick (part-goblin).Honourable mentions to the giant squid, Firenze, Fluffy & Norbert the dragon!/6

Chamber of Secrets -Again during CoS we’re introduced to a number of beasts that are of vital importance to the story! First & foremost, Dobby, the world’s most lovable house-self & all round hero who goes on pop up throughout the series!/7

(CoS)Then of course there is the basilisk, the perpetrator of the grisly attacks around which the second book’s plot revolves! & who could forget the lovely Fawkes the Phoenix & his healing tears!Honourable mentions to Aragog & his offspring, the cornish pixies & the gnomes!/8

Prisoner of Azkaban - Much of this book was centred around the mysterious & much-loved Prof Lupin, who of course ended up turning out to be a werewolf! His lessons also featured many beasts including boggarts, dementors, grindylows, hinkypunks & kappas to name but a few!/9

(PoA) also fleshed out the concept of the animagus & included some of the series’ most notable animagi: Wormtail, Padfoot & Prongs. It was also during 3rd year Hagrid took on the role of Care of Magical Creatures teacher, introducing even more beasts including Hippogriffs./10

(PoA) Honorable mentions for PoA go to hinkypunks, Crookshanks (ostensibly a cat but later revealed to be part-kneazle!) & the particularly ferocious Flobberworms!/11

Goblet of Fire centres around the triwizard cup & all tasks include (you guessed it!) MORE BEASTS: dragons in the 1st, merpeople in the 2nd & blast-ended skrewts & a sphinx in the 3rd! Hagrid’s classes also introduce further new creatures including murtlaps & nifflers!/12

(GoF) also introduces Nagini, Voldemort’s snake (& horcrux) who is featured prominently as the series progresses - see my recent thread below. Honorable mentions in GoF go to Madame Maxime’s Abraxan horses, the veelas & Winky the alcoholic house-elf!/13 https://twitter.com/MagnusWaffling/status/1254448863391502336

Order of the Phoenix then introduces the intriguing thestrals & we meet our first pure-blood giant, Hagrid’s half-brother Grawp! Kreature the house-elf also plays a huge role within this book & later events!/14

Half-blood Prince-this book is probably most notable for having the least beasts in!The
Magical Creatures classes, however do cover some new ones including the diricawl, moke & fwooper.We also meet the vicious Fenrir Greyback for the first time, a particularly nasty werewolf!/15

Deathly Hallows - Rather than introducing new beasts, the final book ties up many beastly storylines as might be expected. Hagrid, Lupin & Dobby all play important roles throughout the events of the last book (sobs into hanky)!/16

(DH)Additionally many creatures fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, including giants, centaurs, Nagini, acromantula, house-elves & the dementors! The DH honourable mention must of course go to the pyjama-wearing ghoul!/17

As you can see magical beasts have played a HUGE role throughout the HP series! Similarly, there is no reason the Fantastic Beasts series cannot focus on magical creatures while at the same time covering the impending wizarding war & other wizarding world plotlines!/18

Additionally, as Jo has hinted within the stories, the term ‘beasts’ is applicable, not only to the weird and wonderful magical creatures featured within the series, but might also be used to refer to the ‘beasts’ within./19

Notably, Credence Barebone (/Aurelius) must learn to fight (or harness?) his inner obscurus - a magical parasite that seems like it will be one of the beasts most integral to the FB storyline./20

Further, the FB-era Dumbledore we meet in Crimes of Grindelwald is in many ways also still battling his own demons in the form of his traumatic family history as well as his inner conflict over his love for Gellert Grindelwald./21

It will also be interesting to see more of Nagini’s descent into becoming a beast, as well as potentially getting some flashbacks to Leta’s life (again not a literal monster but somebody that views themselves as one)./22

As the story progresses it will be fantastic (see what I did there!?) to continue the journey with Newt & the gang, following their magizoological adventures, all the while encountering new beasts along the way - both literal and figurative!/23 ENDS