The Biggest Harry Potter Easter Eggs Hidden in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is officially in theaters, which means a whole new entry into J.K. Rowling's stunning, magical universe is ready for you to dive on in. When you do see the film, make sure to keep your eyes peeled: there are tons of nostalgic references and Easter eggs to the original Harry Potter films woven into the plot, from terrifying creatures to beloved professors. If you can't wait, though, we've gone ahead and rounded up the biggest, most exciting moments! But be warned: giant spoilers for The Crimes of Grindelwald ahead!
I Want More! Get our Celebrity & Entertainment newsletter by tapping the button below. Instant Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms & to receive emails from POPSUGAR. 1. Nagini 
Let's start with the most obvious one, shall we? It's confirmed early on in the film that Nagini (Claudia Kim) is indeed the same snake Voldemort favors decades later, but when we meet her in Crimes of Grindelwald, she's far from evil. In fact, she's rather sweet. She seems to be the only one who can keep Credence (Ezra Miller) grounded, and loyally helps him in the search for his mother. However, it's not hard to see how she might develop a malevolent streak later on in life — before Credence helps her escape, she's held prisoner in a demeaning circus for "freaks," and forced to perform her unique ability to transform into a massive, writhing snake on command as crowds of people jeer.
2. A Callback to "The Boy Who Lived"
When Johnny Depp's Grindelwald descends upon Paris, he has his minions find a beautiful townhouse in the city for him to shack up in. Unfortunately it's still occupied by the muggle husband and wife who own it, so Grindelwald's wizards kill them on the spot. As if that isn't brutal enough, they discover afterwards that the couple has a baby boy, who is happily babbling away in his bedroom.
Grindelwald leans down beside the boy, who's sitting by his crib, and then walks away so that one of his followers can do his dirty work (yes, they Avada Kedavra a baby). The scene is eerily reminiscent of the flashbacks we see in the Harry Potter films, of Harry's last night with his parents. Both Lily and James Potter are killed before Voldemort attempts to take out baby Harry in his crib a well.
3. Thestrals 
Speaking of magical creatures, the black, skeletal, bat-winged horses that are invisible to those who have never truly been touched by death make an ominous appearance at the start of the film. They're tasked with pulling the flying carriage that is supposed to transport Grindelwald to a new, more secure location, but of course everything goes awry and the evil wizard takes off on the thestrals to freedom.
4. The Iconic Moving Staircases in Hogwarts 
The Crimes of Grindelwald gives us an in-depth glimpse into Newt's home base, which looks like a typical London apartment from the outside. But inside? It's a magical zoo packed to the gills with strange and majestic creatures. To get down into the basement of his home, which houses the titular fantastic beasts, Newt walks down a series of criss-crossing staircases that look just like the ones Harry, Ron, and Hermione frequently navigated in Hogwarts. Pretty cool, no?
5. A Beauxbatons Academy of Magic-Style Hat 
Remember that pointy blue hat Fleur Delacour wears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which is tilted at a distinct angle? Grindelwald's closest confidante, a witch named Rosier, wears an almost identical hat tilted at the same angle. Only hers is black, naturally.
6. A Phoenix
At the very end of the film, a certain someone is revealed to be a member of the Dumbledore family. Because of that, they're able to call forth a mythical phoenix, just like the one Albus Dumbledore has by his side throughout Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts.
7. Young Minerva McGonagall 
If you gasped when you saw young Minerva McGonagall (Fiona Glascott) appear onscreen, you're not alone. It's such a treat to see the professor as she's just starting out at Hogwarts, chasing after students on the grounds looking very differently than how we're used to seeing her. With her hair piled up in a glamorous bun on the top of her head and dressed in a Victorian-style white dress, you'd never even know it was her. Good thing her thick Scottish accent gives her away!
8. A Member of the McLaggen Family
When aurors from the Ministry of Magic show up at Hogwarts to try to blackmail Dumbledore into fighting Grindelwald for them, they interrupt him teaching a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. He happens to be going toe-to-toe with a young, dark-haired student who isn't afraid to mouth off to the aurors when they try to haul his "favorite" teacher away.
McGonagall proceeds to call after the boy, saying something like "come along now, McLaggen." As in Cormac McLaggen? We assume so! As you'll recall, Cormac is a member of the Slug Club and also plays for Gryffindor's quidditch team (which is how he gets the opportunity to thwack Harry over the head with a beater's bat). Despite the fact he's clearly a tool, his family is also "big in the Ministry," so he's used to getting a pass. Now we can see where he gets his cocky attitude from!
9. A Member of the Malfoy Family . . . Well, Maybe 
In the same scene during Dumbledore's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, the camera briefly settles on a young boy dressed in Slytherin's green robes. It wouldn't be notable, except for the fact that the boy has bright, white-blonde hair, just like everyone in the Malfoy family. The timing is too early for it to be young Lucius, but maybe it's Draco's grandfather?
10. Dueling Club 
Remember the dueling club that Gilderoy Lockhart oversees in The Chamber of Secrets? The format makes a return in the sequel, with Dumbledore teaching the students the best ways to combat each other.
11. A Bogart
Dumbledore's Defense Against the Dark Arts class happens to be on a very familiar subject: how to defeat bogarts. The creatures appear to wizards and witches as their worst fears, which means Newt sees an office desk (he fears having to enter the traditional workforce after graduation). As for young Leta Lestrange, her greatest fear is far more disturbing.
12. The Mirror of Erised 
In the Harry Potter films, Dumbledore explains to Harry that the Mirror of Erised shows us the "deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts." (The name "Erised" is "desire" spelled backwards.) Young Dumbledore (Jude Law) glances into the mirror himself in the sequel, where he's met with the face of Grindelwald. He also sees a flashback to the two of them as young men, when they decide to slice open their palms and commit to a blood oath to never fight one another.
13. Portkeys
Since Newt is barred from traveling internationally, he's forced to travel via a secret portkey with Jacob on their way to Paris. The pair hop inside a seemingly normal bucket on the edge of the White Cliffs of Dover, and are dumped out in France a second later.
14. Nicolas Flamel 
Famed alchemist Nicolas Flamel (Brontis Jodorowsky) pops up in The Crimes of Grindelwald in a few delightful scenes, one of which includes a glimpse of the glowing red sorcerer's stone that he has hidden in a cupboard in his apartment. It's presumably how he was able to achieve immortality, since drinking the stone's legendary Elixir of Life is rumored to keep a human being alive forever.
15. Polyjuice Potion
Polyjuice potion makes an appearance not once, but twice in Crimes of Grindelwald. The first time it's a part of Grindelwald's dastardly plan to escape the clutches of the American Ministry of Magic, when he convinces former Ministry auror Abernathy to drink some and pose as Grindelwald in his cell. The second is during a much more lighthearted scene, when Newt whips some up so he can pose as his brother, Theseus.
16. "For the Greater Good" 
"For the Greater Good" is the chilling phrase that Gellert Grindelwald uses to justify his horrific actions and seduce followers to his cause. It's also what he eventually has engraved over the entrance of Nurmengard, the prison he constructs to lock up his enemies. When he and Albus were at Hogwarts together they frequently wrote letters containing the phrase, which advocates wizard supremacy "for the greater good" of the world. In Dumbledore's obituary decades later, Elphias Doge (aka an adviser at the Wizengamot) even mentions that his friend was always "working always for the greater good."