Rolf Scamander

Rolf Scamander was a British wizard and is mainly known for being the grandson of Newt Scamander. Born in the wizarding Scamander family in the late Twentieth century somewhere in the British Isles, Rolf was brought up in the company of his grandfather Newt and grandmother Porpentina who influenced his later career. Very little is known of Rolf’s early life except for the possibility of him studying at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Rolf married Luna Lovegood, the decorated member of Dumbledore’s Army. Rolf followed the footprints of his famous grandfather and became well-respected in magizoology. He was in the employment of the Daily Prophet for a while and soon went on to become the Chief Consulting Magizoologist for the Daily Prophet.

Etymology

Rolf’s first name is believed to be a variant of the Norse “Hrolfr” which in turn was derived from the German word “Hrodulf” which means “famous wolf.” However, the term “Hrodulf” is a derivative of the words hrodr and ulf which mean honor and wolf, respectively, or honorable wolf when used together. Interestingly, even Rolf’s wife Luna’s name is related to wolves in the sense that Luna relates to the moon, which is what determines a werewolf’s transformation period. Rolf, being a form of Rudolph, would be related etymologically to the Potter name Rodolphus Lestrange.

Family

Rolf was born into the Scamander family somewhere in Great Britain. Most of his family members were quite popular in the magical community, despite a chance that his parents may have been at least half-bloods. His grandfather was famous and well-respected magizoologist Newt Scamander, who had played a major role in the vanquishing of the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. His grandmother Porpentina Goldstein, was a famous Auror in the USA. She, too, played a major role in the eventual capture of Grindelwald. His other relatives include Theseus Scamander, the elder brother of Newt, Queenie Goldstein, and Jacob Kowalski. 

J. K. Rowling later confirmed that Anthony Goldstein, the Hufflepuff student from Hogwarts, was Jewish and a distant relative of Tina Goldstein, which is why there exists a possibility that Rolf was part-Jewish as he was the Grandson of Newt and his wife Porpentina and Rolf’s grandmother was likely a Jewish witch.

School And Education

Rolf is believed to have been educated in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, thereby following the footsteps of his grandfather since Newt Scamander was a British Wizard and studied there as well. However, it is also possible that Rolf studied at the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since Newt’s wife, Porpentina was an American witch who studied there. There is also a chance that Rolf was homeschooled if his parents, too, like Newt, were Magizoologists or were employed in some profession that required them to travel often. This would explain the total absence of Rolf in all the Harry Potter books. 

It is believed that J. K. Rowling was considering introducing Rolf in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and if that would have happened, we were more likely to know for sure about Rolf’s schooling. Rolf Scamander is mentioned on Rowling’s website Pottermore.

Career

Rolf was highly influenced by his grandfather Newt Scamander’s work and career. Rolf became an expert in the study of magical creatures and a magizoologist just like his grandfather. He started working for the Daily Prophet and eventually became the Chief Consulting Magizoologist for them around the year 2010. He was an important member of the wizarding community by then. He was dejected by the way in which the Argentinian Council of Magic handled the opening ceremony of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup. For some unknown reason, they decided to place a Fijian Dukuwaqa alongside a Norwegian Selma in the same lake. This led to disastrous consequences. 

Rolf later commented on this issue, stating that Dukuwaqas live in warm oceans and Selmas are icy freshwater lake dwellers. Furthermore, he also stated that Dukuwaqas were shape-shifters and transformed from fish to human form, while Selmas were water serpents that fed on both humans and fish, and only a person with the brains of a Billywig would be unable to foresee an immediate bloodbath were the two crammed forcefully together in brackish water.

Love And Relationships

Rolf Scamander married Dumbledore’s Army member and Battle of Hogwarts combatant Luna Lovegood. It is believed that Luna, too, was a naturalist which is possible since she was interested in strange plants and weird creatures like Dirigible Plums and the Crumple-Horned Snorkack during her time at Hogwarts. They had twin sons by the name of Lorcan and Lysander.

It is not known if Rolf knew the golden trio personally till he met and married Luna, but in an early draft of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it was Rolf who was supposed to narrate the Tale of the Three Brothers to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The task eventually fell into the hands of Xenophilius Lovegood in the final draft of the novel. It is believed that Luna and Rolf married much later than most of her classmates, which is why it is more likely that Lorcan and Lysander were born long after the children of Harry Potter. Likely because they were busy having adventures of their own.

Rita Skeeter, the notorious reporter for the Daily Prophet, claimed that Rolf had a surprised look when he saw Luna’s wedding dress which was decorated with spangles and several rainbows. She also wore a tiara made of unicorn horns. 

Later Life

Rolf was an important member of the Daily Prophet since he served as the Chief Consulting Magizoologist for the newspaper. During the 2014 Quidditch World Cup, he was seen in the VIP stands talking to Charlie Weasley and holding hands with his wife Luna.

Rolf assisted the newly established Statute of Secrecy Task Force with the details that would require the expertise of a magizoologist. This included his research on Erumpents and Occamies.

Rolf and Newt – The Travelling Magizoologists

While it is not certain if Rolf was similar to his grandfather Newt in that he carried a briefcase full of animals and magical beings as he traveled, there is a chance that he might have. In the Muggle world, their lifestyle would be similar to that of people who travel on a trailer or caravan. These people carry their houses around in a moving vehicle as they wander, just like Newt and probably Rolf did too. Despite possibly owning a house in a static location, it is always thrilling for a traveler to take along a “dwelling” with them. This probably allowed them to travel for as long as they wanted without ever feeling the need to go home – as they were already home.

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