I think J. K Rowling must have chuckled when the idea of The Cursed Child was first put forth; like, this one’s going to take all the Potterheads back in time. And blimey, was she right? This—‘Harry Potter and The Cursed Child’—was the best gift a true Pottermaniac could have ever received on the significant date of July 31st—it is truly etched in our heads and hearts as the one when we never got our letters of admittance into Hogwarts, in the owl post. Not that there is an owl post; but, really would it kill you to be slightly imaginative?
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So, as a die-hard J.K Rowling and Harry Potter fan, how did I feel when the new book hit stands?
The news and the images were all over the internet—there were kids dressed in their robes and hats flooding bookstores and posing with their latest copies and, once again, I was the early 2000s’ kid who couldn’t afford to buy the latest books hot off the press because a 1000 bucks was still a huge amount for a middle class family in the metropolitan cities to spare on a book. And so, I had to wait till the prices dropped or till a friend would lend them to me. That never made me any less of a fan; in fact, if anything, it only strengthened the cause for me.
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I’ll be honest; I never expected much from ‘Harry Potter and The Cursed Child’. But, I didn’t even realize when I subconsciously slipped into wizard limbo and caught myself getting engrossed in the plot, as it thickened. And what a brilliant plot?! The book starts off from where the last movie ends—19 years later at Platform 9 ¾, King’s Cross Station. The Potters—Harry, Ginny and the three kids, James, Albus and Lily—are on their way to help the two sons board the Hogwarts Express. Ron and Hermione are bidding adieu to their daughter, Rose, too. Harry’s final words to his second son, Albus, become a central point of the plot for The Cursed Child.
So, here are the 10 things that really stood out for me as a Harry Potter fan...
1. A Potter Gets Into Slytherin
Yes, Albus Severus Potter, gets sort into Slytherin, instead of Gryffindor, after all. And if that’s not all; he becomes best friends with Draco Malfoy’s son, Scorpius Malfoy. As you proceed along the story, you’ll become rather fond of Malfoy Junior, too; especially since, this time around, it’s him who’s the nerd who knows about books, the same way Hermione did when she was at school. Not to forget, it’s hard to love Albus’ character.
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2. That Voldemort Might Have A Kid
Yes, the Dark Lord. Yes, an offspring. Yes, Tom Riddle had sex at some point and produced a thing. At first, the whole idea is pretty appalling. But, like I said, the plot grows on you and with it, the likelihood of who might be Voldemort’s offspring becomes like one big whodunit that you can somehow never get enough of.
3. That Time-Turners Are The Means And The End
Remember how Hermione Granger uses a time-turner in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban to save Sirius Black and Buckbeak? Exactly like that. But, why I’m particularly grateful to the authors for using time-turners as part of the main plot is because through these magical instruments, we get to revisit Hogwarts like in the olden days—Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire and so on. And I think the whole idea of going back to what all Potterheads know to be familiar is what ultimately connects us to this book too.
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4. We Get To Meet Some Old Characters Again
Right from the famous Trolley Witch of the Hogwarts Express to Hagrid; and Aunt Petunia Dursley to Professor Snape—there are these short scenes where a few of our beloved characters make brief comebacks and, believe it or not, it really is like visiting your old school, all over again and meeting your old teachers. It’s a moment of nostalgia and for a moment you wish they had more book time. But, their timing justifies the plot perfectly; in fact, it’s brilliant how they have been woven into the entire story.
5. Ron Is Just As Funny As Before
If not more and it is actually, endearing. It’s like he’s always been the Ronald Weasley we know and love. In fact, Ron and Hermione actually have a lot more romance going on this time around and I think fans would really be glad because, in the previous books, the love didn’t particularly show as much. That’s not to say, we preferred this one because if it weren’t for Rowling, we’d never have even imagined Ron and Hermione.
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6. Voldemort And Bellatrix Had Sex
Yes! And they had a kid who is the heir to the Dark Lord. Admit it, secretly all Harry Potter fans knew there was something rather lustful about the way Bellatrix Lestrange was so devoted to Voldemort that she cheated on her husband with him. But, in Voldemort Land, I don’t know if it’s even considered cheating. So, it totally makes sense that they had sex and, well, a kid. Bellatrix Lestrange gave birth to her daughter (yes, it was a girl) just before the Battle of Hogwarts broke out.
7. Harry And Draco Become Friends
Of sorts, yes. And trust me, we Potterheads have always secretly been rooting for this too because, why not?! We all knew that Harry and Draco had similar dark streaks. And while Harry had a huge weight on his shoulders, to save the world and defeat the Dark Lord; so did Draco, in a more twisted way. In fact, this eighth installment actually makes it liberating for us to go ahead and side with Draco more than with Harry sometimes.
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8. The Villain Is A Woman
She is Voldemort’s daughter, to be precise. But, hell yeah! I really like how this book has gone beyond all stereotypes and casted Hermione as dark-skinned who is also the Minister For Magic, and a woman as a villain. It’s more badass than we can imagine and it’s actually a lot more interesting because it isn’t revealed till the absolute end. That’s’ when you’re like, “Merlin’s Beard, it is she!”
9. The Twist In The Plot Is Mind-Blowing
No, really. Remember how in Harry Potter and The Chambers of Secrets and then, in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, we were literally flipping out because of the way the plot turned around and really had you wide-eyed in astonishment? Exactly like that! There is not a single dull moment in the eighth installment; in fact, in certain areas, you catch yourself wishing there was more to a particular scene.
10. It Takes Us Back To The Beginning
Literally, as well as figuratively. And that’s what’s so amazing. Towards the end, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Draco, along with their sons, Albus and Scorpius, are back at Godric’s Hollow on that eventful night of 31st October, 1981, reliving the heinous crime committed by Voldemort. And in that moment, you’re with Harry. You’re witnessing the events and you can do nothing to stop it even if you want because that would change the future entirely and that cannot be done, at any cost.
All in all, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child could not have been a better written book; I mean script; I mean play. You get it. And for all those Potterheads who have missed all the action all these years, it takes you right back to your childhood where magic meant everything—the end of all your woes, the beginning of all your joys and a world where you could fly, stay invisible and slay dragons, using magic!
Yes, there are many out there who are of the view that it’s nothing like the originals, by J. K Rowling. But, the fact that Rowling herself gave this one her approval and seal is reason enough for you to read it. And she is right in doing so; after all, who would know the Wizarding World more than the queen herself?!
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Yes, it’s written as a play, with scenes and acts playing out on each page; but it’s not half as bad as you’d believe it to. In fact, if anything at all, this was indeed the perfect end to the Potter story. We could not have expected it to go a better way. So, yes, if you’re the Potterhead I know you to be; if you believed in magic for all those years, and if you yearned to go back to Hogwarts and have more of the magic mayhem, go and buy yourself your own copy of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child because it is food for every Potter-soul out there. In the eighth installment, we reunite as one, in magic and in friendship, to fight the dark and difficult times that lie ahead, yet again!