Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sets up a brand new Harry Potter series, which will include five movies, so it makes sense that the film leaves audiences with a lot of questions. Spoilers ahead. One of those questions: what, exactly, does Grindelwald say to Newt at the end of Fantastic Beasts ? Due to some Johnny Depp mumbling, the line was incredibly difficult to get, but, lucky for us, J.K. Rowling decided to release the official script. The official line, according to Rowling herself, is "Will we die, just a little?" But, now that we know what Grindelwald says to Newt at the end of Fantastic Beasts, what does "will we die, just a little" actually mean?
Grindelwald's line in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , muttered as he's being taken away into MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA) custody, could mean any number of things. It could also be argued that it doesn't really mean anything other than that Grindelwald is an unhinged murderer. But, if you think that, then you don't know Harry Potter, and you certainly don't know J.K. Rowling. As of now, no one really knows what "Will we die, just a little" means. With that in mind, here are a few things the now iconic line could mean.
MACUSA Death Penalty
"Will we die, just a little" could be a reference to MACUSA's seemingly arbitrary death penalty, with Grindelwald accepting his fate. Earlier in the film, he (as Auror Graves) sentenced Newt and Tina to death after accusing them of setting the Obscurus loose on the city. There was no jury, no trial, just Graves sending them to be executed by some kind of magical fluid. Perhaps his parting sentiment to Newt, "Will we die, just a little," is meant as a bit of a tease. He tried to kill Newt, and now Newt has, perhaps, sentenced him to death by catching him for the MACUSA.
The Deathly Hallows
Grindelwald's pursuit of the Deathly Hallows — the Invisibility Cloak, the Elder Wand, and the Resurrection Stone — is alluded to in Fantastic Beasts when he gives Credence his Deathly Hallows pendant. The Deathly Hallows, of course, promise followers that possession of all three objects will allow a witch or wizard to cheat death. As far as we know, Grindelwald doesn't have his hands on any of the Hallows at the time of his arrest. Furthermore, one of the many lessons learned from the story of the Deathly Hallows is that no one can truly escape death forever. So, perhaps Grindelwald's question was meant as signifying his allegiance to that idea?
If Grindelwald's message to Newt is a reference to the Deathly Hallows, then does that mean that Grindelwald and Newt know each other? Take a look at Grindelwald's question: "Will we die, just a little?" The use of the "we" suggests that Grindelwald and Newt are in this together. Maybe Newt was also known to be a believer in the Deathly Hallows.
Horcrux
There is another terrifying possibility: Grindelwald has a Horcrux. A Horcrux, Harry Potter fans will remember, is a magical object imbued with some of a wizard's soul through dark magic, that could, in theory, keep a wizard alive even after death. Maybe when Grindelwald said "just a little" he meant it literally. His body may die in MACUSA custody, but if he has a Horcrux then he won't really be killed — he will only have died "a little."
Credence
At the end of Fantastic Beasts, it looked like Credence (the Obscurus) had died and exploded after his repressed magic was let loose. However, there was a bit of black smoke that escaped through the subway tunnel before MACUSA witches and wizards could notice, causing many to believe that Credence could still be alive. If Credence is alive, then he did die "just a little," and, since MACUSA wants to kill him and Newt does not, both Grindelwald and Newt are finding themselves on the same side, be it temporarily. "Will we die, just a little?" could be a reference to Credence's life — Grindelwald's way of telling Newt that he knows Credence is still alive.
Grindelwald Is Just Straight Up Cray
Grindelwald is a mass murderer — he's obviously not well mentally. Maybe we can't make sense of "Will we die, just a little" because there was never any sense there to begin with.
Grindelwald's question — "Will we die, just a little?" — will likely be interpreted every which way in the years before the Fantastic Beasts sequel hits theaters in 2018. Out of all the theories sure to be generated, one of them has got to be right!
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures; fantasticbeasts/tumblr (5)
