Warning: definitely contains spoilers. Proceed with caution!
On July 31st, 2016, the Rehearsal Script Edition of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child released globally, and the whole world naturally went into a frenzy. I got a copy as an early birthday gift (hands down the best gift I’ve gotten in a long, long time), and despite running on two hours of sleep from the night before, there was no way I wouldn’t put the book down until I finished it.
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The play came out in London earlier this summer and is evidently booked until (at least) May 2017, so I was thrilled that JKR had provided a way for the millions of fans around the world to indulge in this new glimpse into the world of Harry Potter. I had religiously tried to avoid spoilers until I got my hands on the book and I’m thrilled that I did because I really got to laugh and smile and cry as I read every word for the first time.
I’ll be honest, there were lots of things I didn’t quite like about the Cursed Child, but there were lots of things I loved too (given that this is Harry Potter, I think I was pretty determined to like it regardless of the actual quality, so do forgive my bias). Honestly, I think I could write a solid 4000 words Extended Essay on this, but I’m going to refrain from doing so. So, in no particular order, my scintillating thoughts on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child:
- One of the first things I noticed in the Cursed Child was Ron Weasley’s sense of humor. It was always there in the previous seven books, and he often served as the comic relief, but I had hoped in the future, Ron’s role would be seen as something more. I think people always really underestimated Ron’s worth – he was Harry’s first friend, the provider of his first family, his constant support, and he was always reduced to the funny sidekick, which is definitely what I feel has been done in the Cursed Child, where he takes over Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. It’s almost as if he’s adopted (the late) Fred Weasley’s tendency to make jokes to give him a sense of presence in a book where Hermione is the Minister for Magic and Harry is Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (to any non-Potterheads, these are pretty big jobs).
- Which brings me to my next point, I cannot fathom why Hermione Granger-Weasley would ever be Minister for Magic. (Though the feminist in me appreciates the combined last name, especially because Rose also goes by that rather than just Weasley). Hermione certainly had the brains and talent to take up such a position, but given her record in the previous seven books, I couldn’t see that sort of power ever appealing to her. She wanted to do good in the world, true, but being Minister is much more political, and Hermione’s never liked the dirty intricacies of politics. She wanted to do something good in the world, but given the track record of previous ministers, I feel like she’d steer clear from that path.
- Then there’s our very own, Harry James Potter, the overworked Head of the DMLE. I definitely see this as more plausible – Harry’s known for accepting responsibility, for stepping up to the plate and getting the job done. I had always known Harry would end up in the Ministry (especially as Head Auror, if I’m being honest), so I have absolutely no complaints with this portrayal. What I do find a little off is the ‘overworked’ part, and when I extensively discussed with my Potterhead friends, they seemed to agree. All his life Harry’s lacked a family and now that he has one, I can’t see him picking a Ministry job over that, which sucks because I thought Harry’s lack of a family growing up would yield just the opposite result in his adult life.
- My favorite Next-Gen child, Albus Potter is a Slytherin. While some of my friends don’t see the logic in this (given that the Epilogue perhaps implied that Albus wanted to be in Gryffindor and as such would ask the Sorting Hat to put him there), I actually love Albus being in Slytherin. All the books have mostly focused on the negative aspects of Slytherin, so it was great to see a more neutral perspective (though by the looks of it Hogwarts is still as prejudiced as ever.
- ALBUS POTTER AND SCORPIUS MALFOY ARE FRIENDS. If there is ever a bromance I shipped, it is this one. I absolutely adore the friendship between Scorpius and Albus – it’s funny, it’s silly, it’s deep and it’s exactly what they need from each other, given they both have difficult relationships with their family (Albus is the Potter son in Slytherin, rubbish at Quidditch and spells and being Harry Potter’s son. Scorpius is the Malfoy son without a mother, facing age-old prejudices, stereotypes and absurd rumors).
- Interestingly enough, time turners still exist. Despite everyone thinking all the time turners were destroyed when the Department of Mysteries went boom, the Cursed Child features two time turners. Time turners play a rather integral part of the plot, and I actually quite enjoyed the way it all played out. We got to see old characters we missed from the books and watch Albus and Scorpius royally mess up the past not once, but twice, only to go back again and save the day. One thing I really liked in the Cursed Child is that Albus and Scorpius actually ask for help from more experienced grown-ups when they realize they’ve made a mistake (unlike Harry Potter in his irresponsible youth). They aren’t blinded by their pride and honestly, as fourteen year olds messing up the space-time balance, it only makes sense that they’d be sensible enough to ask for help.
- I didn’t like that the conflict in this story is still in connection to Voldemort, perhaps not directly, but all the same. After two Wizarding Wars and the destruction of all of his horcruxes, Voldemort being part of the story line should have been done and dusted and used only in historical references. For fear of revealing too much I won’t say exactly how he’s connected to the plot, but I thought using Voldemort’s mission (to rule the magical world and purge it of muggle blood among other things) as motive for the was tedious and uninspired. We didn’t go through seven agonizing books of Harry’s fight against the Dark Lord only to see his son get dragged into the same mess.
- I actually really loved the general sense of humor this book carries. I’m going to bring up Ron Weasley again because he was actually one of my favorite things about this book. I also really liked Scorpius Malfoy’s sense of humor, a little drier and less obvious than Ron’s, but an incredible pleasure all the same. I loved that there were so many moments I had while reading this book that I actually chuckled out loud, or let myself smile as I read a good moment. It reminded me of why I love reading in the first place, of why I love Harry Potter.
- I’m also going to admit, without shame, that I cried during my read of the Cursed Child (I could blame it on the late hours during which I read the book, but who am I kidding? I’m an emotional person). Rowling, Tiffany and Thorne wrote out these beautifully emotional moments in the script that I can only imagine would bring the audience to tears in the live show. The fact that even a scripted version of the play could resonate with me in such a way goes to show that while the plot may be a bit out there, the emotions, the characters, and the essence of Harry Potter is still as precious as ever.
So to conclude, I was pleasantly surprised by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The plot wasn’t my favorite, but it carried a distinct sense of JKR – danger, madness, laughs and no loose-ends (I honestly love an author that knows how to keep their story air-tight). But I loved almost everything else about it. It’s been 9 years since the last Harry Potter book came out. 9 years of reading and re-reading the original series, 9 years of reading fanfiction to fill the void, 9 years of making my own assumptions about the characters that were so precious to my childhood. I definitely acknowledge that some part of my discontent with the plot stems from the fact that I spent 9 years forming my own opinions about these characters and those opinions don’t fit with JKR’s. And I accept that. I loved the Cursed Child regardless.
My only regret is that I won’t be able to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child live for at least another year (and quite possibly more), because there’s so much theatrical expression that just can’t come through words. I completely understand what JKR meant when she said she believed this story had be told on stage as opposed to on the big screen.
My recommendation to all those who haven’t read it yet, keep an open mind and an open heart - let the world of Harry Potter fill you with magic again and you won't be disappointed.
