Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Review

(Warning, major spoilers! Turn back if you don’t want to find out what happens!)

Wow! There is a lot I can say for this new eighth Harry Potter book. My inner child was released when I got it the day it came out. It was for good reason, having enjoyed my magical journey since elementary school. Since I finished it, I thought I would take the time to say how I feel about it for fun. I am not an expert critic or writer, but I will share my opinions anyway.

To start off, I was always curious as to what happened “nineteen years later” when Harry and his friends became adults and were taking their children to Hogwarts. So how did I feel about the story line of the Cursed Child? Excited, intrigued, and somewhat confused.

First: the action.

I loved the time travel element that was added in. For me, it is fascinating to think of “what would have happened if X occurred” in a different timeline. I was not expecting Albus and Scorpius to journey into the past to try and revive Cedric Diggory. (Dr. Who would not approve one bit! Brings vibes from Meet the Robinsons and my Little Pony’s The Cutie-Remark episode). Alright, back on topic. And bloody hell: that villain timeline where Voldemort wins is dark as (insert word of choice here)! It strongly referenced Nazi Germany and Voldemort and Umbridge becoming like Hitler. What exactly was the “Blood ball?” (Let the fanfics begin!). I also liked the Audgery bird for the evil regime symbol, rather than the cliché snake for Slytherin. (Though, there are scarier creatures in the Harry Potter world.) Thankfully, the pasts were fixed and became like the original timeline at the end. This set the action sequences and added a new flavor to the Harry Potter stories.

Second: the characters.

In my opinion, the characters were almost exactly like they were in the other stories. I know that some people may complain that they are nothing like they were before, but keep in mind: this is nineteen years later: lots of things can happen. Aside from the teenage hormones going away, our heroes had to adjust to new jobs, changes in relationships, and raising children of their own. With all the struggles Harry had to overcome like being abused by the Dursleys and saving the world, it is easy to imagine why Harry wanted his son Albus to be a certain way at times. He couldn’t imagine a younger version of himself unpopular, having different interests, and being a Slytherin. Let’s not forget all that Draco Malfoy had to deal with: family pressures to keep their bloodline pure, being chosen by Voldemort to kill Dumbledore against his will, guilt of what he had done to Harry, Ron, Hermione and so many other people. Draco must have raised Scorpius well, because he was a funny, kind-hearted boy, like Harry was and he was a good friend to Albus and Rose, even though she finds him annoying. (Admit it: this book screams a Scorpius and Albus shipping for some fans!) Overall good character development, although somewhat rushed, being a script and all. (I will never think of the trolly lady the same way again. She belongs in a horror film, seriously.)

Delphi though…what a badass character! It was shocking to see a seemingly nice character turn evil at the drop of a hat. As soon as she wanted to use the time turner, I suspected that she was Voldemort’s child. (and by Dumbledore’s beard, I was right!) Too bad she had to stay in Azkaban for fifty plus years with no one to look after. (But seriously, how could Voldemort have children in the first place? And how can Delphi fly on her own and time travel like a deranged Starlight Glimmer? She is basically an antagonist for the sake of being an antagonist.)

Third: the lessons

As with the other Harry Potter books, there are some life lessons that are shown that can apply to anyone of any age. As Dumbledore said earlier; “love is blind.” That is evidenced by several instances: when Dumbledore wanted to protect Harry in the other books, while making mistakes; Albus’ interest in Delphi, when Harry and Draco want what is best for their sons, even when it is not in their best interests, James and Lily sacrificing their lives to save Harry, the list goes on. It goes to show that love can conquer evil and hate.

It also goes to show that not everything goes as it seems, as with Albus being sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor, Harry Potter struggling with raising his son, etc. Also, never ever mess with time!

Fourth: the feedback

No story is perfect and everything has good and bad parts to it. For one part of the book, I was very confused as to why Ron and Hermione were acting weird to Albus after he first returned from the past. It was only when it was explained that Ron married Padama in another timeline, did that make sense. It threw me for a loop and distracted me for a moment.

Did it feel like the story focused on father-son problems too much? Yes. There were some moments where it felt like the story dragged on, such as the meetings and various explanations.

Fifth: the theories

This book left me with several questions that I am sure that many other fans have had. I will attempt to put my own thoughts to them.

1.     Why did Cedric become evil in the alternate timeline?

It was mentioned in the book that in the alternate timeline, Cedric became humiliated and angry after Albus and Scorpius made him lose the triwizard tournament. This resulted in him being a Death Eater and even murdering Neville Longbottom. It was true that Cedric was used to being admired by many students at Hogwarts, and possibly spoiled by his father. He was Prefect, Head boy and the Hogwarts champion. Most people would feel shocked and emotional if they had their fame suddenly stripped away. With Cedric being a Hufflepuff, valuing teamwork and fair play, it would seem unlikely he would turn to the dark side…

Unless he was put under the imperius curse by Barty Crouch Jr., yours truly.

Barty Crouch Jr. an avid supporter of the Dark Lord, wanted to lure Harry Potter to the graveyard in order to resurrect Voldemort. In Goblet of Fire, he disguised himself as Mad Eye Moody and used many tactics such as bewitching Victor Krum, telling Hagrid about the dragons, telling Cedric about the golden egg for the second task. If he could sneak around, manipulating people, then it would not be hard for him to influence Cedric. Perhaps after Cedric lost, he got frustrated and vented in the Forbidden Forest. Then, Barty Crouch Jr. took advantage and mind controlled him. He told him to act like nothing was wrong and to still be friendly to everyone. Like no one suspecting Barty Crouch Jr. putting Harry’s name in the goblet of fire, perhaps no one suspected that there was anything wrong with Cedric. The longer the spell was on him, the worse he got. After his father’s disappointment, losing the contest, and being jealous of Harry and distrustful of the Ministry, Cedric may have had enough and pledged his allegiance to Voldemort like Peter Pettigrew did, eventually killing Neville in the process, which kept the horcruxes safe, and allowing Voldemort to become an immortal dictator. 

2.     Why did Voldemort and Bellatrix have sex?

This may seem like a weird question, but keep in mind that Voldemort did not have the ability to love anyone, nor was he interested in having children. Bellatrix was infatuated with him, but Voldemort only saw her as a mere ally. So why did they do the thing? Delphi mentioned that she was the daughter of Voldemort and Bellatrix, probably why she was a powerful villain, a fighter, being able to fly without a broom and controlling time with no effort. Did Voldemort want an heir to take over? Probably not, since he would be immortal. Perhaps to get Bellatrix to leave him alone. Maybe they felt victorious before the Battle of Hogwarts? Who knows?

3.     What was Delphi’s life like?

Other than Delphi was an orphan like Tom Riddle was and that she was the daughter of the most evil people in the wizarding world, little else is known about her. She inherited the ability to talk to snakes, she faked being Amos’ niece for many years and was likely a Slytherin at heart. (and Azula in witch form) Her only good side was the love she showed for her father, but her psychopathic tendencies overruled that. Seriously, what was her problem? Interesting that she was named after the oracle in Greek mythology, with the prophecies and the time changing thing.

4.     Why did the Ministry want to keep the time turner if they weren’t going to use it?

Sure, who wouldn’t want to use a time turner to change the world, but why would the Ministry want to keep it? Could it be because they want to keep the illusion of power to other members of wizarding society? Could they use it in case the muggles discover the wizarding world? The other time-turners were destroyed, but who knows what they could have done with the time turners if they wanted to use them.

Also, remember that deleted scene from The Chamber of Secrets when Lucius Malfoy sold dark artifacts to Borgin? He said that a particular item wasn’t for sale and then Borgin stated “One wouldn’t want it seeing it fall into the wrong hands.” Could that have been the time turner that Delphi later used?

5.     If Albus had been in Gryffindor and popular, how would his life be different?

Another interesting question. I didn’t expect Albus to be put in Slytherin. It was basically what might have happened if Harry was in Slytherin. Scorpius sounds more like a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff but once a Malfoy always a Malfoy I guess. How would he be different? For one thing, he would have had a better relationship with his father throughout the story, would have been similar to his brother, James, which we don’t hear from. Then again, he probably would not have been that close to Scorpius and without their clever thinking and need for adventure, Delphi would have eventually gotten powerful, perhaps made herself an army of dark creatures. Besides, who needs another Gryffindor main character, right?

6.     If Delphi was born during the Battle of Hogwarts and Harry’s scar hurt when she was grown up, why didn’t it hurt when the child of Voldemort was alive?

Maybe Harry’s scar hurt once the dark prophecy was made.

7.     What happens after the Cursed Child?

I’ll leave this up to the fans. Only time will tell.

Overall, I give this 4 out of 5 stars. A wonderful script and a job well done by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne. I can’t wait to see what happens next. Until then: mischief managed.