Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The only good thing about having to stay in hospital is all the free time you get. And when there is a new Harry Potter book, what to want more. The new Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”; no not a book, it’s a script for a play actually, is a totally different experience comparing to the Harry Potter series I know. To be precise, nothing in this new book is like in the Harry Potter series, not even the character Harry Potter himself. But the recurrence of characters like Cedric, Polly and Snape, living the moments of the tragedy night in Godric Hollow and witnessing the tragedy of Voldemort killing Lily and James and meeting the new generation of Hogwarts was exciting. The most peculiar thing about the play is that it has taken the sensitive subject of a parent child relationship and the story revolves around it the whole time in one way and the other. And hold your horses because this time it’s not just one year in Hogwarts per book as it used to be.

The story sets on 19 years after the battle of the Hogwarts. Harry is now employed as the Head of Magical law enforcement in the Ministry of Magic, married with Ginny, he has three children; James Sirius Potter, a confident young wizard, Albus Severus Potter, a lonely vulnerable child and Lily Luna potter, sweet kid yet to start the magic school. Hermione is the minister of Magic, which was perfect because she is the best witch ever. She has married Ron and they have two kids, Rose and Hugo. Ron now manages Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, which was nice to know as the shop gives us memories about Fred and George but also felt illogical as Ron never loved the jokes and tricks, maybe because he always was the victim. It all begins as Albus and Rose board the Hogwarts Express for their first year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They both are excited and cautious as well, as they have heard that it is here in the Hogwarts Express their parents met for the first time and became friends for life. Rose wants to befriend someone she would adore as her friend and she is furious when Albus meets Scorpius Malfoy become inseparable. Son of Draco Malfoy and Astoria, Scorpius is rumored to be the son of Voldemort born by going back in time using Time-turner. Albus who desperately wanted to be in Gryffindor from the beginning of the play is sorted to Slytherin house, and after meeting Scorpius, he is happy to be there. Rose is sorted to Gryffindor, soon becomes the most popular student and a chaser in the Quidditch team representing her house. Albus, on the other hand, the most popular kid as the son of Harry Potter loses his charms and is soon unpopular and undistinguished student. He has only one friend Scorpius and his relation with his father Harry starts deteriorate. Harry Potter’s fame and his own bad performance in school frustrates Albus, and he starts hating his father. Harry tries to amend the relation by gifting Albus his mother’s blanket which Albus refuses to accept and they get into a row and the love potion gifted by Ron is spilled all over it. Harry in rage calls Albus a burden and says that he wished that they were not related.

The introduction of Amos Diggory gets us into the real adventures of the play. Amos Diggory learns that the Ministry of magic has recently confiscated a time turner from a death eater, approaches Harry demanding to use it to bring back Cedric, his son who died as a spare in place of Harry. Harry denies and Amos leaves furious. Albus overhears the conversation and also meets Delphi, niece and caretaker of Amos. He soon falls for Delphi and plans to steal the time turner and save Cedric. Using the Polyjuice potion, Albus, Scorpius and Delphi convert themselves as Harry, Ron and Hermione and steal the time turner. Then they go back in time to the Tri-wizard tournament and make Cedric lose the first task using their charms. There they learn that the time turner only works for 5 minutes and they are soon brought back to the present. But since they changed the past, the present is different. Albus is in Gryffindor, Ron is married to Padma Patil, Hermione is defense against dark arts professor and Rose is never born. Harry starts to dream about the dark lord and his scar starts hurting again. He warns Albus not to meet with Scorpius, which Albus agrees until Delphi shows up make them up again. She also persuades them to give a second try in saving Cedric which Scorpius at once agrees to because of his crush in Rose. Albus and Scorpius travel to the tri-wizard tournament again and fail Cedric to win the second task as well. When they come to present, only Scorpius appears as it turns out that, Cedric due to total humiliation turned to be a death eater and Voldemort with help of Cedric won the battle of Hogwarts and Harry is dead so Albus was never born. Draco is the head of the ministry of the magic and Scorpius is the most popular student as the scorpion king. He also learns about a powerful witch called the Augurey being the Voldemort's closest aide and Snape being still alive and secretly running the Dumbledore’s army. Ron and Hermoine are still alive and they all agree to help Scorpius after listening the story about the alternate present. Scorpius travels to tri-wizard tournament again and blocks Albus and himself from failing Cedric. This makes everything right and they both are in the real present. Scorpius says everyone that he lost the time turner but actually he still has it and he and Albus decide to destroy it themselves. Albus invites Delphi and Scorpius notices the Augurey tattoo on her and she is exposed. She soon attacks them and takes the time turner and bind them and destroys their wands. She then once again travels to the tri-wizard tournament along with the boys, this time on the maze of third task. But they stumble into Cedric who thinks they are also the obstacle of the task. He saves Albus and Scorpius but Delphi flees to another time using the time turner, leaving the boys in past.

Harry and friends learn that Albus and Scorpius were last ween with Delphi and they interrogate Amos about his niece only to find out that he had none. When they search her room they find the prophecy about the return of Voldemort. And they also learn that Delphi was actually the daughter of Voldemort and Bellatrix. Here in past Albus and Scorpius find that they are in 1981 and the day is just the day before the day when Harry’s parents were killed by the Voldemort. They realize that, Delphi is planning to kill Harry herself and save Voldemort from rebounding the killing curse. They travel to Godric’s Hollow to stop her. They find Harry’s parents but without wands not changing the past they have no idea how they are going to stop Delphi. Then Albus sees the blanket that Harry was wrapped in and he realizes it was the same blanket, Harry had gifted him and thinks of a way to inform Harry what was going on. They steal Tincture of Demiguise from Bathilda Bagshot’s house and writes a message in the blanket so that it will be seen only when love potion spills into it. Harry and Ginny deciphers the message and know where the boys are and as they are wondering how they will travel in time, Draco reveals another, more valuable time turner, passed along the generations in his family. Soon everyone is in Godric’s Hollow and also find out that, Delphi isn’t actually going to kill Harry herself but is trying to stop Voldemort from doing so. This would change the past and the Voldemort would only be stronger. So to prevent Delphi from meeting Voldemort Harry transfigures himself into Voldemort. Seeing her father Delphi come out of the hiding place and says everything but soon realizes that she has been tricked. She tries to attack Harry but all his friends come to assist him and she is captured. Suddenly the real Voldemort appears and Delphi tries to shout calling him but soon is taken back to present. Harry and Albus apologize to each other for everything in the past. And finally Scorpius asks Rose to a date.