5 Times "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" Went Too Far

In July 2016, the Harry Potter fandom received a highly-anticipated gift -- the release of a sequel to the original series: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Like millions across the globe, I found myself extremely excited for the first new Harry Potter story since 2007. 

As I was unable to travel to London to witness the play, I drove to my local target on July 31 and purchased the script in its written form.

In case anyone is still unaware, this story was not meant to be enjoyed via words on a page.

While those who attend the live-action production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child tend to cite its stunning visual effects and overlook an unfulfilling plot, the written format feels more like an intriguing fanfiction.

Here are five examples of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child losing the narrative integrity of Rowling's original series.

1. Delphini "Diggory"

If you're unfamiliar with this story and do not wish to have it spoiled, now would be a good time to stop reading. As the plot progresses, Albus Severus Potter (Harry's second child) finds himself romantically invested in Delphini Diggory (Cedric's "cousin"). Though Delphini is significantly older than Albus, there's little reason to suspect she poses a threat to him. It isn't until the final stages of this story that we discover Amos Diggory and his wife did not have siblings; thus, Delphini cannot possibly be a Diggory. Instead, she has used the Confundus Charm on Amos to pose as his niece in an attempt to resurrect the Dark Lord. Indeed, Delphini is actually the daughter of Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange.

This revelation is illogical at best and hysterical at worst. Bellatrix Lestrange is broken out of Azkaban in January 1996 and killed in May 1998. This allows a very small window for her to conceive and birth a child. In the films, that window is almost nonexistent, as viewers see her in the Department of Mysteries (June 1996), during Snape's unbreakable vow (July 1996), Dumbledore's death (June 1997), the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor (March 1998), and the Battle of Hogwarts (May 1998). In the books, Bellatrix isn't present for Dumbledore's death, leading to speculation that she may have birthed Voldemort's child sometime in 1997. Even so, it's incredibly difficult to visualize these two as a love match. And did nobody ever notice that Bellatrix was pregnant? How far must we suspend our disbelief?

2. Too Much Time Meddling

I understand the need for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to draw upon nostalgia. It's hard not to love the fact that this script incorporates fallen characters such as Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, and Cedric Diggory. However, meddling with time can become very messy, and creating a plot that revolves entirely on doing so is even more tricky. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, our characters travel back in time to alter past events and create a future in which both Sirius Black and Buckbeak survive. However, weren't these occurrences always destined to happen? 

In Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy actually manage to create entirely different timelines by simply forcing Cedric Diggory to lose the Triwizard Tournament. In analyzing the first alternate timeline alone, this inconsistency becomes immediately problematic. Due to Albus and Scorpius interfering with Cedric's ability to win the first task, Hermione Granger develops a mistrust of Durmstrang students. Thus, she denies Viktor Krum's invitation to the Yule Ball, takes Ronald Weasley, the pair avoid their influential fight, and the course of history is altered forever. Instead, Ron ends up married to Padma Patil. Hermione was right, "Awful things happen to wizards who meddle with time."

3. Evil Cedric Diggory

Imagine a universe in which Cedric Diggory is so humiliated by his inability to win the Triwizard Tournament that he goes evil. If it sounds like a poorly constructed fanfiction, it should. However, that is what viewers/readers are forced to accept in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. In a second alternate timeline, Cedric's humiliation turns him into a Death Eater, he kills Neville Longbottom, Neville doesn't kill Nagini, and Voldemort reigns for another 20+ years.

Throughout the centuries, Hufflepuff House has valued traits such as hard work, dedication, patience, and loyalty. Cedric is described as someone who embodies all of these traits. He may have been amongst the more popular students, but it is never suggested that he is overly arrogant or potentially dangerous. I have a hard time conceding this point, even as a member of Ravenclaw House. Evil Cedric Diggory simply doesn't suit him.

4. Crazy Trolley Witch

This is the first moment in which I realized Harry Potter and the Cursed Child felt more like fanfiction than a legitimate addition to the Potter franchise. The scene requires very little explanation; thus, I'm going to let its script (p. 55-56) explain precisely what I'm referring to here.

TROLLEY WITCH: These hands have made over six million Pumpkin Pasties. I've got quite good at them. But what people haven't noticed about my Pumpkin Pasties is how easily they transform into something else . . .

She picks up a Pumpkin Pasty. She throws it like a grenade. It explodes.

And you won't believe what I can do with my Chocolate Frogs. Never -- never -- have I let anyone off this train before they reached their destination. Some have tried -- Sirius Black and his cronies, Fred and George Weasley. ALL HAVE FAILED. BECAUSE THIS TRAIN -- IT DOESN'T LIKE PEOPLE GETTING OFF IT . . .

The TROLLEY WITCH's hands transfigure into very sharp spikes. She smiles.

If you're feeling slightly horrified: exactly. This sounds like something I might have produced during an elementary school free-write, rather than something even remotely canonically accurate.

5. Harry's Behavior

Following the fateful night of Halloween 1981, Harry Potter's character is tormented in countless ways. After suffering the Dursleys' abuse in his youth, Harry attends "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" and faces an absurd amount of challenges for an underage wizard. However, through it all (except perhaps in his fifth year), he manages to keep a relatively cool head. His character remains a positive light despite the series descending into darkness. Thus, it seems Harry Potter and the Cursed Child changes our protagonist too drastically.

On page 41 of the script, Harry says to Albus Severus, "There are times I wish you weren't my son."

On page 123 of the script, Harry says to Minerva McGonagall, "This map will reveal to you where my son is at all times -- I expect you to use it. And if I hear you don't -- then I will come down on this school as hard as I can -- using the full force of the Ministry -- is that understood?"

I understand that two decades have passed since the defeat of Lord Voldemort. However, this is no longer the Harry Potter character that we grew to love. He seems to have lost himself in a way that didn't quite come to fruition during the Second Wizarding War in the 1990s.

What are your thoughts on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child?

Feel free to let me know in the comments section below and don't forget to "Subscribe" for future post notifications :)

For more Harry Potter related blogs, follow these links:

    Why Quidditch Is Totally Ridiculous (Yet We Still Love It)

    Ranking Harry Potter's "Defence Against the Dark Arts" Professors

    Hinny and Harmony: Shipping Harry Potter

    Professor Severus Snape: Behind The Character

    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Book-To-Film Adaptation

    Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone: Book-To-Film Adaptation