The long-rumored Harry Potter RPG was finally given the spotlight. Since word began circulating back in 2018 thanks to a Redditor leaking footage, avid fans have been looking forward to a formal announcement of the upcoming game. During the PS5 showcase on September 16th, both a name and release year for the game were given. Along with the gorgeous announcement trailer for Hogwarts Legacy came affirmation of fan suspicion that the game would be set in the late 1800s, but what does that mean for its characters?
Some fans might be dismayed upon the realization that this means little to no familiar faces will appear in the upcoming game. Hogwarts Legacy will follow an original customizable character attending Hogwarts in the late 1800s, and very few Harry Potter characters were even born in this century. This enables the writers to explore an era of the Wizarding World that hasn't yet been touched by the franchise.
While the main Harry Potter books were set in the 1990s and the Fantastic Beasts films in the 1920s, the history of the magical realm hasn't gone as far back as the late 1800s. Though this may mean we likely won't see any popular Harry Potter character in the upcoming game, there are a few caveats the game can work with.
Hogwarts Headmasters
Knowing that Albus Dumbledore is well over the ripe age of 100 years old in the Harry Potter books, fans may be expecting him to make an appearance as a student in Hogwarts Legacy depending on what year the game is set in. Dumbledore attended Hogwarts between the years 1892 to 1899, and perhaps this is why the developer chose to set the RPG in the late 1800s, so that Albus could make an appearance. Grindelwald, Dumbledore's partner of sorts and the main villain of the Fantastic Beasts films, was born around the same time, though he attended and was expelled from Durmstrang, so he also has a chance of appearing in Hogwarts Legacy.
Less excitingly, fans should expect the role of Headmaster in Hogwarts Legacy to be filled by Phineas Neggullus Black, who would become the school's least popular headmaster, according to his great-grandson and Harry's godfather, Sirius Black. It's possible that the game will fill in holes as to why he's described this way. Also, his succeeding Headmaster, Armando Dippet (who lived for three and a half centuries) should be a Hogwarts professor during the events of Hogwarts Legacy. He was responsible for many historical events talked about in Chamber of Secrets, such as Hagrid's expulsion and was very fond of Tom Riddle.
Wizarding World Bloodlines
Some families mentioned throughout the Harry Potter franchise have been around for centuries; for example, House of Black and the Ollivander family, both notable pure-blood wizarding families in the magical realm, are two that fans could easily expect to see. The Ollivander family has been crafting wands in Great Britain since the BC era.
Though the Ollivander that fans know from the books and films may is quite old, he wasn't born until 1907. Rather, his father or grandfather will be running the shop when players pick out their wands. And as far as students go, fans can expect to see ancestors of the Black family, but there are far too many members and extended relatives to name off as the family tree is massive.
The Time-Turner
Though the Time-Turner has no known first discovery recorded, there are two open possibilities that Hogwarts Legacy could explore; by simply existing, the Time-Turner could mean any famous Harry Potter character could make a return. It's not known specifically when Professor McGonagall was born, yet she appears in a flashback scene in Crimes of Grindelwald as a professor in the early 1900s.
Fans have pointed out that this doesn't make sense, but some have suggested that the necklace she's wearing in a deleted scene is a Time-Turner. She was employed in a position by the Ministry of Magic that would make her familiar with the forbidden item, and it could also explain why she has extensive knowledge of it when she gives it to Hermione.
While this might just be a flub in the lore, another possessor of a Time-Turner would go down in history for the crime she committed. Eloise Mintumble worked for the Ministry of Magic in the late 1800s and used the object to go back five centuries. This created a great disturbance in life paths for likely up to hundreds of descendants of those she interacted with during the year 1402, causing many individuals to become "unborn." When Eloise finally returned to 1899, her body had aged five hundred years and she died. This event occurred around the time that Hogwarts Legacy is set, so she may be mentioned or make an appearance in the game.
The Philosopher's Stone
Nicolas Flamel has been alive since sometime in the 14th century and didn't die until the events of the Harry Potter novels. He achieved immortality by creating the legendary item known as the Philosopher's Stone, and from it, the Elixir of Life. Flamel appears in Crimes of Grindelwald as well and plays an important role, but he's known as one of the most notable and powerful wizards in the Wizarding World.
There is one issue with the possibility that Flamel may appear in Hogwarts Legacy, though: he was French and lived actively in France. He would later move to Great Britain, but in Fantastic Beasts, the protagonists visit his home in France. However, according to Harry Potter lore, Flamel supposedly came in contact with a teenage Dumbledore in the 1890s, but more specific information on this event has not been verified.
Though the 1800s have been mostly glossed over and minimally mentioned throughout the Harry Potter franchise, this leaves Avalanche with a lot of writing room and creative parameters. Likely, a lot of new historical lore will be introduced in the game that has not been mentioned yet: "Live the unwritten," the Hogwarts Legacy announcement trailer says. Although the franchise is known to bend timelines and lore to its will, it's possible the developers might throw in characters as Easter eggs for fan enjoyment.
Hogwarts Legacy will be coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X in 2021