I was very hesitant when I heard there was another Harry Potter book being released. I felt, and still feel, as though Harry’s story is over. It was wrapped up nicely, and the next generation of wizards that were introduced had zero characterisations attached to them, besides the influence of their parentage, which left them open to personal interpretation and headcanons (and a whole lot of fanfics). So naturally, another Harry Potter story focusing on those characters was very risky.

The characters, however, were not the problem with this play. Actually, they were what carried it...

WARNING: Spoilers!                                                                                

THE CHARACTERS:

Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter were the characters in the series I never knew I needed. Scorpius was everything I expect Draco would have been like if Harry had befriended him in the Philosopher’s Stone. He’s an utter nerd, he’s kind, generous, and he’s one of the only redeeming aspects of the play. 
*Also, I feel as though people always forget that Draco was the smartest kid in their year after Hermione. 

In the first scene he appears in, Rose (Ron + Hermione’s daughter) is the one with preconceived ideas about Scorpius and his parentage - don’t even get me started on the ‘Voldemort is Scorpius’ father’ rumour. She doesn’t even give him a chance, and I sense an interesting role reversal that I’m uncomfortable with because, give her parents, Rose shouldn’t be displaying prejudices towards Scorpius. Also, its very clear that he looks exactly like Draco; “I got his nose, his hair and his name.”And even after Rose admits that unlike Voldemort, he’s “got a nose”she still displays the same characteristics that Draco did towards her parents, towards Scorpius. 

Albus, on the other hand, is uncannily like his father. He’s short tempered, adventurous and feels lonely without his friend, the father and son are so similar they clash awfully with one another and it’s the catalyst for the story.  With quotes like “The poor orphan who went on to save us all - so may I say- on behalf of Wizarding kind. How grateful we are for you heroism. Should we bow or will a curtsy do?” it is clear that Albus is also witty and dramatic like Harry (remember “there’s no need to call me ‘sir’ professor” in HBP?) and it gets under Harry’s skin, enough to make him proclaim that “…there are times I wish you weren’t my son.” Which I, at first, thought was quite out of character for him but after consideration, and the fact that he regrets it instantly, it was Harry.

HOWEVER, later in the alternate universe, Harry separates the boys and orders prof. McGonagall (first sign of Harry being OOC ) to use the marauders map to make sure they don’t talk to each other, going out of his way to rearrange the timetable to ensure they’re not in classes together and to tell him if they do so he can “fix you (Albus) with a spell - which will allow me eyes and ears into your every movement, your every conversation.”
Yes, I know this is alternate-universe Harry, but a character cannot fundamentally change enough for this to be an acceptable manoeuvre in his mind. He was still abused as a kid, everything was the same until the fourth year, and only one thing changed that hardly effected Harry as a character (because it was Hermione that didn’t go to the yule ball with Krum, thus tearing apart romione, not anything with Harry.) So why on earth would it be acceptable in Harry’s mind to stalk his son and separate him from his only friend. And then he goes on to claim that he needs Albus to “obey me because I’m your dad and I do know better.” No? So incredibly out of character it hurts.
​*Also, Hermione is the DADA teacher? She sucks at DADA, you can’t just un-suck at something. 

I enjoyed that the underlying theme in the play was to reconnect with the parental figures. Harry, having grown up in an abusive household and Draco very much the same way, both had relationship issues with their children as a result. Throughout the play we see the parents try to re-tether those relationships and in doing so, end up bonding with one another over their children. Draco does a better job at fathering than Harry, even in the alternate universe, which I think says a lot about his character.  He also seems to care more about Scorpius’ well-being that Harry does with Albus; “I’m not here to antagonise you. But my son is in tears and I am his father so I am here to ask why you would keep apart two good friends.”

Draco has an INCREDIBLE CHARACTER ARC I have literally been waiting years for this to happen and now its CANON thank you very much! He literally stood up to his parents for love, admitted “it’s exceptionally lonely, being Draco Malfoy,” connected with Ginny and Harry over traumas from Voldemort and when asked what he wanted to do he replied, “Quidditch. But I wasn’t good enough. Mainly I wanted to be happy.” Also, he awkwardly hugged Scorpius and I have a lot of feelings for the pair I could go on for eons. 

Ginny is fabulous as always, mainly because she’s book Ginny and not 2D movie Ginny. She talks about Tom Riddle and how that impacted her, which we never got in the books, and she bonds with Draco over how they envied the golden trio throughout school. 

Ron is used solely for comic relief and helps run the Weasely’s Wizarding Wheezes, which is mildly believable but I feel as though he could have done something more fulfilling, and ran the shop on the side. Ron is such an under-appreciated character, and so so so much more than comic relief and it infuriated me during the entirety of the play. This is the kid who beat Prof. McGonagall’s wizard chest in his first year, the kid who confronted his biggest fear (spiders) in order to save Hagrid, the kid who was always overshadowed + second best and yet it didn’t make him any less caring and kind. And yet they still belittle him to mere comic relief?


THE PLOT

So. I, naturally, read ‘spoilers’ for this play a few months back. And dismissed them, as majority of the fandom did, as utter rubbish… JK Rowling wouldn’t write a plot with time-travelling and have a Voldy and Bellatrix spawn that no one new about?? Nor would she write a play that sounded like the equivalent to "My Immortal".
*If you don't know what my immortal is, I strongly suggest you don't look it up because you cannot un-read it. You've been warned. 
Yeah. Guess who was wrong.

The plot. The gods-damn plot. It was atrocious. Seriously, is that the best they could do with it? Voldemort has been dealt with, his time as the antagonist is over, that's why the series ended in the first place. So why did he have to be the root of the problem, again?
Is there nothing else in the entirety of the magical world that poses a threat to people other than Voldy and some dark magic?
Apparently not...

The time-travelling aspect of the play is far-fetched, and this is only added to by the introduction of the Voldy/Bellatrix spawn: Delphi. She is one dimensional and contributes nothing to the storyline besides the confusing root of her heritage and the time-travelling shenanigans.

It read like a bad fanfiction.
*especially when the only logical couple didn't get together, and Romione seemed forced, not going to lie.

The entirety of the time travelling is awful, but the alternate universe with Voldemort still in power is particularly cringe-worthy. Umbridge is the headmaster of Hogwarts, Hermione and Ron are on the run, and Snape is still alive and working for the 'good guys'. The thing that really, really irritates me is that, even though Snape bullied Harry mercilessly for his entire schooling life, was Neville's BIGGEST FEAR and only agreed to be a double agent because Harry was 1/2 Lily Potter, he is still the "Greatest man" Harry has ever know? And then I read a quote that I literally marked as "disgusting" on my sticky-note tab because I wish I could unread it: (Scorpius to Snape) "thank you for being my light in the darkness."

*cringes for eternity* 

That was probably the worst of the play, for me. but coming in second are these beauties: "For Voldemort and valour." and "The Blood Ball." I'm not going to lie, I didn't know whether to laugh or frown throughout the entirety of this AU. 
*this is also where the 'my immortal' vibes come in...

The trolley witch scene was... frightening. She is over 100 years old and throws Pumpkin Pasty BOMBS at children when they misbehave? However I do like that the Marauders and Fred&George tried to escape, and failed, where Scorpius/Albus succeeded. 

Cedric Diggory is OOC, as if he would become a death eater out of humiliation? However, the importance of Neville Longbottom is beautifully reinforced (which i adore bc he is literally forefilling the "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ..." prophecy) by “You're telling me that the whole of history rests on... Neville Longbottom?” Yes. Yes it does.

I also loved how Harry called out Dumbledore on his treatment of Harry, to the point where DD is literally weeping. "Love blinds us? Do you even know what that means? Do you even know how bad that advice was?" Then DD still tries to justify himself, Harry falls for it and the moment is ruined. 

But, besides the awful subplot of the time-turner, the real storyline followed, in true Harry Potter style, the importance of FRIENDSHIP. Scorpius and Albus are more than just friends, they're soul mates, constantly seeing the good in one another when they fail to themselves "You're kind, Scorpius. To the depths of your belly, to the tips of your fingers... You're probably the best person I know... you make me stronger," and not knowing how to live without the other "Every owl he sends i can feel your (Scorpius') absence. He's destroyed by it... Albus needs you, Scorpius." Also, the only way to get to Albus was through torturing Scorpius, and I think that says enough about the pair.

​IN CONCLUSION the play had the worst plot line but the next gen. characters made up for it!


★★★✩✩  3.5 stars - a third of a star for plot, the rest for the Malfoys.

Love, Natalia

xx