The trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore features a major shift for the franchise, placing a wand in the hands of a Muggle, namely Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). It's an unexpected turn, as Muggles have never been shown overtly using wands in the Harry Potter franchise before. However, there have been hints across various entries in the Fantastic Beasts series and in the backstory expanded upon by sources like Pottermore that suggests this was always a possibility.

Within the Wizarding World, Muggles have been shown to be dangerous when exposed to magical artifacts they can't control. In fact, at various points -- such as in the footnotes of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a collection of in-universe folk tales -- it has been suggested that Muggles could use a wand as a weapon, even if they could never master it. In the Harry Potter universe, wands are an innately magical tool, capable of rebelling against their user or switching loyalties (such as the Elder Wand). A Muggle gaining one wouldn't just effectively have a stick in their hand but could produce an uncontrollable magical effect. Muggles can't necessarily perform magic, but with a wand, they could cause some to manifest in an uncontrollable manner.

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While they wouldn't be capable of casting charms or curses, Muggles could accidentally force out the innate power within wands -- even if it's just the wand rebelling against them, such as in the Pottermore story "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." After finding one, a man named James waved a wand, and "as invariably happens when a No-Maj waves a wand, it rebelled. James was sent flying backward across the clearing, hit a tree, and was knocked out cold." This is actually similar to what occurred in the first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, where a small monkey got ahold of a wand and slammed it against the ground. This produced a flash of light and a minor explosion, which propelled the monkey back, leaving it largely unhurt but dazed.

There's also the story of Rappaport’s Law, which was established in the then-fledgling United States as a means of further distancing the magical community with No-Maj. It all started with Dorcus Twelvetrees, a witch who became enamored with the No-Maj Bartholomew Barebone. After seeing her cast magic, Barebone stole Twelvetrees' wand and tried to use it as proof of a witch community that needed to be expunged from the young United States. Although he couldn't necessarily cast spells, his use of the wand produced a powerful enough blast that it "kicked like a mule" when waved. This further suggests that, within the world of Harry Potter, Muggles can use wands and access magic.

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While the monkey from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Barebone didn't cast a spell, it did activate the magical potential in the wand. This means Jacob can likely do the same but won't be able to use it for more than an uncontrolled blast. Unless the wand has been specifically modified by Dumbledore in some unknown, which, given his power and tendency to ignore the laws of the Wizarding World, remains a possibility, it's likely that Jacob's new wand will only be useful in a limited fashion. And while it doesn't mean he can cast spells, it does potentially give him an unexpected ace in the hole.

See how Jacob uses his wand in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, in theaters April 15, 2022.

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