I know this book had mixed reviews but I enjoyed it. I completely agree that it does not fit in with the timeline of the series but it was still a fun read.
Without spoiling it too much for those who have yet to read it or see the play, the story centres around the death of Cedric Diggory in the Triwizard Tournament in the Goblet of Fire. Harry is now 40 and is failing spectacularly at being a dad to his younger son Albus. Albus goes off to Hogwarts and is promptly sorted into Slytherin where he becomes best friends with Scorpius, son of Draco Malfoy. Hogwarts isn’t fun for Albus - he feels like he doesn’t fit in. He feels alienated. He just doesn’t get on with Harry and the two struggle to connect. After yet another argument with his dad, Albus and Scorpius decide to go on a time-travelling quest to stop Cedric’s death from ever happening. But messing with the past never ends well and their journey has disastrous consequences. Imagine a reality where Hitler still reigns or - even worse - Ron and Hermoine never got together.
Scorpius is by far the best thing about this book. He is nothing like Draco as a boy. He is kind, funny, nerdy and unsure of himself. Like Albus, he is trapped in a legacy he never asked for and doesn’t really want. He is plagued by rumours that he is the son of Voldemort but manages to his good humour and his optimistic outlook on life. The role reversal of a dark Potter and a sunny, friendly Malfoy is brilliant to read.
The play takes the parallels between Hitler and Voldermort to a whole new level. In this alternative reality, Voldermort won the war and still rules. It’s quite terrifying. Dolores Umbridge is at her horrible best as headmaster of Hogwarts, a place where Mud-Bloods are locked up and tortured in dungeons. Draco is in charge of attacks on Muggles and the Mud-Blood death camps that exist. One stage direction tells us that the auditorium turns chilled as dementors appear all around us and that sounds like it would be amazing to experience live.
Like all the Harry Potter books, this story is ultimately about friendship and its importance. The friendship between Albus and Scorpius forms the backbone of the story but it also focuses on Harry’s friendships and how he couldn’t have achieved what he did without them. Let’s face it, without Hermoine, Harry and Ron would have been dead in the first book. As Harry faces down Delphi in the final scenes he tells her “I’ve never fought alone, you see. And I never will!" Even Draco is there standing by Harry’s side.
The only criticism I have about the play, and I think it’s the same as everyone else’s, is that I could not work out where in the timeline Bellatrix’s pregnancy to Voldermort could have happened. She is supposed to have given birth to Delphi before the battle of Hogwarts but are we expected to believe no one noticed? Also let’s not think about making a baby with Voldermort.
Harry is his usual whiny self in this play. Personally, I’m not a fan of Harry. He’s probably my least favourite character in the series. This installment has done nothing to change that. He was a whiner in the books and he’s still a whiner as an adult. Draco was and forever will be my favourite.
I enjoyed this play as a nostalgic return to the world of Harry Potter. Does it make sense? Not really. But I’m okay with that. I would love to go and see the play. I would say to Harry Potter fans, give this a go but maybe think of it like you would fan fiction. It doesn’t make sense but it’s a fun read.
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