The story of Harry Potter is brimming with complex characters that fill the wizarding world with life and depth. From Harry himself to his brilliant companions, terrifying enemies, and questionable Muggle family, there’s no shortage of fantastic individuals in this magical universe. Albus Dumbledore is often regarded as one of the most pivotal characters in the series, but the Fantastic Beasts films have also brought Gellert Grindelwald into the spotlight.
Dumbledore and Grindelwald forged a deep connection that most fans weren't aware of until revelations, outlined by Esquire, came out from Harry Potter's author. The two met as teenagers and quickly became close, ultimately becoming lovers bent on leading a wizard revolution. As things progressed, their relationship experienced a shift that would turn them from lovers to enemies. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore gave a deeper look into the eponymous character and his relationship with the Dark Wizard Grindelwald. Here's an in-depth look at the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
Updated August 1, 2022: If you’ve recently seen the latest Fantastic Beasts film, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article based on the characters arcs.
Albus Dumbledore: A History
The renowned Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dumbledore is often revered as the most powerful wizard of all time. His early life was riddled with emotional hardship and family trauma, mostly stemming from a violent attack on his sister Ariana. After a group of Muggle boys violently assaulted her, she experienced an emotional breakdown and was never the same. Their father Percival chased them down and dealt his own brand of justice — he was imprisoned and died in Azkaban as a result, prompting the Dumbledore family to relocate to Godric's Hollow and keep Ariana hidden from the prying eyes of society.
Aside from facing ridicule as the son of an alleged "Muggle hater," Dumbledore felt trapped. He was an incredibly gifted wizard and became one of the most promising students at Hogwarts. He dreamed of traveling the world after graduation, but this plan was cut short when his mother died. As the only remaining guardian for his younger brother and sister, he had no choice but to stay home and care for them. It was around this time that Gellert Grindelwald arrived in the Hollow. The two clicked immediately upon meeting, and Dumbledore was beside himself to meet another wizard as brilliant as himself.
Gellert Grindelwald: Prophet and Revolutionist
The antithesis of Dumbledore's character, Gellert Grindelwald is one of the strongest dark wizards of the age (second only to Tom Riddle). His academic career at Durmstrang Institute ended after his series of dangerous and terrifying experiments finally came to light; despite its infamous condoning of Dark Arts, Grindelwald was expelled from Durmstrang at age 16. By this point, he was obsessed with the legendary Deathly Hallows, which he actively pursued. His exploits took him to Godric's Hollow, where he hoped to find a lead on the Cloak of Invisibility. Instead, he met a bitter, frustrated Albus Dumbledore.
Grindelwald was infatuated with Dumbledore. Both ingenious wizards with somewhat extreme ambitions, the two became inspired to find the Deathly Hallows and lead a revolution that would destroy the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, allowing wizards to rise as benign worldly overlords.
Is Dumbledore In Love With Grindelwald?
Dumbledore and Grindelwald only spent about two months together, but the two canonically became lovers in that time. Their relationship was passionate and intense, and each wizard helped shape the philosophies of the other. The two were so close that they sealed a blood pact together, vowing never to face each other in combat. Their motivations for revolting were a little different: Dumbledore wanted to eliminate prejudice from Muggles, revive his parents, and regain his freedom; on the other end of the spectrum, Grindelwald was driven by an innate delusion of supremacy. Nevertheless, the two loved each other deeply. The young men prepared to leave Godric's Hollow and track down the Deathly Hallows, but this plan never came to fruition. In fact, it was the first domino that fell in a swift, intense chain reaction that would ruin their relationship.
Why Did Dumbledore and Grindelwald Break Up?
When Albus' younger brother Aberforth discovered the couple's plan for a revolution, he was disgusted. He stepped in and chastised them over wanting to travel the world, as it meant the younger Dumbledore siblings would have to come along. It would compromise Ariana's well-being, and she would no longer get the care she needed. When the confrontation came to a boiling point, Grindelwald used the Cruciatus torturing curse on Aberforth. The three young men ended up in a duel, where Ariana was caught in the crossfire. She was stricken and died, which devastated her brothers beyond relief. In the aftermath, Grindelwald fled, and his relationship with Dumbledore was severed irreparably.
A Fated Rematch
When Dumbledore and Grindelwald went their separate ways, Albus' connection to his brother became tense and strained; Aberforth broke his brother's nose at Ariana's funeral in anger. It wasn't long before Dumbledore left to study abroad in France with Nicholas Flamel, where he proved himself a force to be reckoned with by discovering untold uses for Dragon's Blood. He earned an invitation to become a teacher at Hogwarts and established a legendary teaching career, ultimately becoming the school's greatest headmaster.
Gellert Grindelwald took a completely different path. His research on the Deathly Hallows finally revealed the location of the Elder Wand, which he stole from Mykew Gregorovitch. After it came into his possession, the revolutionary began launching terroristic attacks across Europe, most of which resulted in the loss of countless innocent lives. His campaign sparked an international manhunt, and he would spend the next 46 years infiltrating the Wizarding government to gain ultimate power. He spent some time impersonating Percival Graves, the right-hand associate of MACUSA president Seraphina Picquery, and he abused this position of power to make political movements against Dumbledore.
In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, it's revealed that the two former lovers had performed a blood pact while together that prevented them from harming each other. If one of them so much as thinks of betraying the other, they would find themselves experiencing intense pain that could result in death. Not willing to let Grindelwald endanger the world, Dumbledore was forced to recruit his former student Newt Scamander and his friends to stop Grindelwald from becoming the new Mugwump, the head of the International Confederation of Wizards, and declaring war on the muggle world. In turn, Gellert recruited Dumbledore's own nephew with lies to get the tortured youth to kill Albus.
Joining forces with his estranged brother, Dumbledore would protect Aurelius/Credence from an attack from Grindelwald once his plan had fallen apart. The three men's spells collided. Grindelwald's attack, being aimed to kill the younger Dumbledore and Albus' being cast to protect him against Grindelwald, despite not being the target, nullified the blood pact and allowed the two rivals to face off for the first time in decades. Entering into a mirror world, the two fought a short yet intense battle, with both of their emotions seeping through. Rather than continue fighting, they reached a stalemate with wands pointed at one another and their hands on each other's hearts, lamenting what their love had turned into and knowing they would one day have to fight to a bitter end. Grindelwald once again escaped before he could be captured.
Although he does eventually incite a full-scale war against the Muggle community, he would see his downfall at the hands of his old flame. In the greatest wizarding duel of all time, Dumbledore overpowered Grindelwald and won, securing ownership of the Elder Wand. The loss would lead to Grindelwald's imprisonment, and he spent his last days in Nurmengard — here, he would face interrogation over the location of the Elder Wand by Lord Voldemort. Popular speculation suggests that his refusal to reveal any information came from repressed affections for Dumbledore. After all, he knew perfectly well that Albus was the wand's new master, and some fan theorists believe he kept the information hidden to protect his former partner.