Never mind that there was an Obscurial turning into an ominous dark cloud and the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald being exposed, or even the cringe worthy lovey-dovey scenes between Newt Scamander and Tina Goldstein. “Harry Potter” fans are currently curious about this name: Leta Lestrange.
Back in August, it was reported that actress Zoe Kravitz had joined the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise in an unspecified role, with speculation that her role could expand to future sequels. If you weren’t paying close attention, you could have easily missed her as Leta was only briefly seen in a photo frame.
The name Lestrange connects “Fantastic Beasts” to the larger Potterverse in an unexpected way. As you may know, Leta shares the same surname as Voldemort’s right-hand woman Bellatrix. Although J.K. Rowling has yet to release a Lestrange family tree, we already know that Leta is related to Bellatrix’s husband, Rodolphus Lestrange. This also means that she’s connected to the ancient and infamous House of Black.
It is implied during one curious scene that Leta was the real cause that led to Newt being expelled from Hogwarts, leading the young Hufflepuff student to take the blame. Queenie Goldstein, who’s a telepathic, found a framed picture of a Leta in Newt’s office.
Despite Newt’s request for Queenie to get out of his head, the duo spins the beginning of the story: Leta and Newt were once best friends (also romantically involved) during their time in Hogwarts. For some reason, they’ve drifted apart. Queenie perfectly sums up their relationship: “She’s a taker, you need a giver.”
Director David Yates has already said, “Leta Lestrange comes into the 2nd movie. She’s quite complicated and damaged and confused and Newt is absolutely still in love with her, so she has a kind of power over him, and … she’s a kind of tragic figure, so we will see a bit more of her in the 2nd movie.”
The current status of Leta and her whereabouts are unknown. It’s possible that she may wind up on “Team Grindelwald”. Regardless of that, bringing her into “Fantastic Beasts 2” will certainly unfold a love triangle between Leta, Newt and Tina.
In the meantime, feel free to check out our “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” movie review and some fun facts about the characters in the film.
Sources: Inverse, Movie Pilot, Telegraph.
