Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
“We cannot protect the young from harm. Pain must and will come.” – Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
You know what’s amazing about Harry Potter? Apart from literally everything about it, of course. It’s amazing because it just keeps going on and on. The last book was published more than ten years ago, and The Deathly Hallows Part II was released in cinemas in 2011. And even though Pottermore keeps fans abreast of new information about their favourite characters from the franchise, or divides friendship groups with Sorting House quizzes (I’m a proud Hufflepuff, don’t mess with the honey badger), new stories from the world of Harry Potter and his friends and family has been fairly quiet.
Until it was revealed that a new play would be performed, with the script being released to the public, about the next generation of Potter/Weasley/Malfoy children. Did I scream? Maybe, definitely.
I have been a fan of the Harry Potter world since I was little, it’s one of the first books I can remember reading on my own, I queued up at midnight for the release of the Half Blood Prince, and I've visited the studios in Watford multiple times now.
So you can imagine my excitement leading up to the release of the script. I was there first thing on the day it was released, to collect my pre ordered copy, read it in less than two hours was emotionally fragile for the rest of the week.
The story follows Albus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley as they embark on their own journey through Hogwarts, making friends and enemies and, of course, getting themselves into heaps of trouble. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, just in case anyone reading this hasn’t actually read the script so I’ll do my best to keep my praise secret free.
First of all, the plot is emotional. Really, really emotional. Harry and Albus, Ron and Hermione, Draco and Scorpius, all these relationships were fraught with love, pain, sorrow, anger and eventual redemption. Full marks to Jack Thorne and John Tiffany for pinning down how much of a rollercoaster human relationships can be.
Some of the personalities of the characters were a real surprise, and not all of them in a good way. For me, Scorpius, Rose and Ron were very, very different to what I’d originally pictured, but then again, I’m not J.K. Rowling and these aren’t my characters. However, I will say that I find it very hard to believe that Hermione Granger would have raised her daughter in the way that she did.
Be prepared to see some very familiar (and in some cases very unwelcome) faces. The plot takes Albus and Scorpius to a lot of different places, with a lot of people, potions and places that the reader is already acquainted with. And it is intense.
So overall, yes the plot had a few holes and yes I was disappointed with the portrayal with some of the characters. But it also completely swept me away and who am I to complain about the fact that a new generation is able to experience the excitement of a new Harry Potter story. It really is magical.
Sorry that was really cheesy.