Harry Potter: 10 Things You Never Knew About Fantastic Beast’s Abernathy

The Fantastic Beasts franchise may have welcomed back some well-known characters like Dumbledore and Flamel. However, it has also extended the Wizarding World and introduced some intriguing new players. Abernathy may not be heavily featured across the two films in the series, but he may have a much larger role to play down the line as the narrative continues to unfold.

Due to his limited appearances on screen, audiences don’t know that much about the character. It’s clear that he is firmly entrenched in the American Wizarding World and made the decision to join Grindelwald in his mission. However, there are some other key details about the character that might be quite useful to know as his story arc continues on its journey.

10 Role In MACUSA

The Magical Congress of the United States of America is the equivalent to the Ministry of Magic across the pond. It’s a significant organization in the Wizarding World and one that Abernathy is well known for having a hand in running. In fact, he’s even seen in a leadership role in the first Fantastic Beasts. 

He works as a Supervisor or manager in the Wand Permit Office. This is the facility that gives out licenses for wizards and witches to use their spellcasting equipment in the United States. Interestingly, he seems to have a rivalry with one of his agents, Tina Goldstein.

9 Working Closely With Percival Graves

Abernathy has shown a clear respect for authority in his interactions with Percival Graves. The Supervisor always fell in line for his senior official, who, of course, turned out to be Grindelwald working within MACUSA, using a polyjuice potion as a disguise.

The two worked closely together, and considering Abernathy then went on to serve Grindelwald, this relationship was likely built by his time working with Graves. It’s entirely plausible that Abernathy knew he was Grindelwald all along, which also explains his slight fear of the authority figure.

8 Feelings For Queenie

Oftentimes, a wizard is drawn to the darkness thanks to an internal conflict that they can’t quite cope with. For Abernathy, it may be his feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. It’s clear from his actions that he held an affection for Tina’s sister, Queenie.

While this may explain some of his colder actions towards Tina, it would also go to explain why he would join Grindelwald. After all, Queenie rebuffed his affections for a No-Maj instead, which would have been quite the blow. This is certainly a storyline the third sequel could pick up on again, now that Queenie is back on the same side.

7 A Skilled Wizard

It seems that Abernathy’s abilities were largely wasted in the Wand Department of MACUSA, considering he has demonstrated what he is really capable of. He was one of the key components as to why Grindelwald managed to escape from prison.

His dueling skills were exceptional and he carried the useful ability of being able to transfigure into the dark wizard for a time, as to lull the suspicions of those transferring him. His overlooked abilities may be another reason for his eventual turn, with the theme of repressed powers also reflected in Aurelius Dumbledore.

6 Parallels To Peter Pettigrew

There have been many parallels made between both Pettigrew and Abernathy in terms of their relationship to their respective masters. Both were responsible for the rise of their dark lords once again, largely out of fear.

While Peter Pettigrew lost his hand for Voldermort, Abernathy demonstrated the same unwavering loyalty to Grindelwald, losing his tongue for the dark wizard. Wormtail and Abernathy receiving replacements for their lost body parts, thanks to their hard work and loyalty.

5 Highly Trusted

One of the most telling scenes in The Crimes Of Grindelwald is the moment that Abernathy hands a vial symbolizing a blood pact to Grindelwald. This was a blood pact that he had been keeping that was evidence of the bond between the dark wizard and Dumbledore.

Audiences see a lot of young Dumbledore in the sequel and he seems far different in his early days compared to his years as Hogwarts Headmaster. This blood pact could spell disaster for the sorcerer and it’s paramount that this unbreakable bond is saved. Grindelwald had to put a lot of trust in Abernathy therefore.

4 Acolytes

The Acolyte movement feels very much the equivalent to that of Voldemort’s Death Eaters. Not many people in the Wizarding World are officially a part of the newer Acolytes, Grindelwald’s inner circle, but Abernathy is one of the few that is.

He is present for some of Grindelwald’s atrocious crimes, including taking part in the murdering of a Muggle family. He is also one of the first to cross the blue flames that burn out anyone who isn’t loyal to the dark wizard.

3 Care For Magical Creatures

While the series is titled Fantastic Beasts, the sequels showcase far less of these fantastic animals. Nonetheless, Abernathy is shown to be one of the few wizards that has a genuine skill for looking after these creatures and knowing how to work around them.

He had to overcome many animals while rescuing Grindelwald, including a Chupacabra Antonio. However, he clearly doesn’t have much of an emotional response to these animals based on the way he treats the Thestrals pulling his carriage away.

2 Transfiguration Talents

It’s been previously mentioned that Abernathy has a wide range of impressive magical skills, from his great use of apparition to his impressive dueling abilities. But his transfiguration talents really can’t be overlooked.

He is perhaps one of the most skilled wizards in the Harry Potter franchise when it comes to transfiguration. Indeed, over the course of the series, he completely transforms his appearance multiple times without the use of a polyjuice potion, with complete conviction and believability. This is a tricky skill to master.

1 Time At Ilvermorny

Since Abernathy was a talented wizard growing up in the United States, the assumption is that he attended Ilvermonry school for the gifted, much like Queenie and Tina. However, his estimated birth date is around 1909, which means he is younger than the sisters.

Abernathy may have had a long-standing crush on Queenie dating back to school. The series has shown Hogwarts romances interlinked with the plot and the same may be the case here. What’s interesting is that despite his age, Abernathy has risen higher in MACUSA, likely due to his corrupt loyalty.

About The Author