#Albus comes out to his father in a strangely realistic way

[apollocastellio]

Cursed child in two play form: Albus and Scorpius are (very closely bonded) (would literally die for each other) (nearly willing to let the entire timeline fall into chaos to stop the other person from being in pain) best friends

Cursed child in one play form: Albus and Scorpius are gay lovers. They are gay and in love.

[lonequack]

Opinion piece: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

I was so excited to see that the Costco near where I live was selling this playscript. I turned it over in my hands and felt a wave of nostalgia from the fancy script the title was written in. A hundred little visions danced around in my memory- scenes from the Harry Potter movies, lines from the books and the moments my imagination had embellished on, added something to and flown away with while viewing or reading the series.  I do not often read play scripts. Shakespeare was a struggle for me in school, because I thrive on hearing the characters thoughts while I read. I like hearing every little step they make, every detail described to the point where the book becomes a movie in my head. My love for the Harry Potter series led to an impulsive buy.  Looking around Tumblr, I expected to find far more praise of this work than criticism- yet I found almost universal criticism, even among those who enjoyed some of the new characters (in particular, Albus and Scorpius).  Now I realize that this book is very different from the original “canon” series, in that our beloved trio is all grown up. Let me address this now: Hermione and Ginny have kept the same personalities, for the most part. Ron seems almost like an exaggeration of his childhood goofiness, but in a lighthearted way that makes him out to be a good dad and loving husband. ”Harry is out of character.”/”Harry would never be so harsh on his kids.” Harry is struggling- as my fiance so kindly pointed out (without very much knowledge of the series, but a keen memory for the movies I’ve forced him to watch), “Hasn’t Harry always had his dark moments?” Wasn’t he often struggling to say the “right” versus the “wrong” things to his loved ones, especially in the fifth novel when he was struggling with a lot of dark thoughts about himself? Throughout the novels, did he not face adversity sometimes with a wit that bordered on sassiness, get into a few big fights with his best friends and regard himself with a measure of self-loathing and despair? Harry has been through a lot of complex childhood trauma- despite having a loving group of friends around him, in The Cursed Child he is trying his best to be something he never had a model for- a good parent. In my perspective he is doing an amazing job, despite every terrible ordeal he has gone through. Sometimes despite being a better person from what you’ve endured, there are still triggers and scars that remind you of where you’ve been. Harry is trying to process who he has been as “The Boy Who Lived” while so many, regrettably, died. He is confused and angry and complex. I have seen good parents lash out when they are bated or berated by their children. Kids can be cruel, parents can react harshly, and it is hard to get to the underlying problem from what your child is saying sometimes. We are messy and emotional as parents. His lashing out at his son is so expected and human to me, so in his character when not considering him as the ultimate angel and hero, not black and white, but as grey as Dumbledore turned out to be by the end of the series.  (As an afterthought: please consider that in a play, there is usually more exaggeration and drama, in order to drive ideas home. The harsh exchange between father and son serves to magnify their differences and similarities.) “Albus shouldn’t have been in Slytherin” In the moment where young Albus is sorted into Slytherin, we see the sorting hat get confused. It sat upon his father’s head years ago and quipped “Very difficult...”, then explained how Harry could fit into any of the houses based on personality attributes. Slytherin was one house considered, but it was considered and not chosen because Harry was resolved toward Gryfindor.  His son Albus shows no such enthusiasm towards Gryfindor (and in fact, Albus is detached from anything relating too closely to his famous father), but his unexpected sorting does serve two important points- to humanize the modern Slytherin (no longer the children of dark wizards and witches) and to give Scorpius a buddy, so that he would not feel so alone. When Albus chose to sit with the outcast Malfoy child, he chose to carry the yolk of a Slytherin, And perhaps it was his birthright, given a middle name like Severus. Severus, who was not a bad man by any means but who was an outcast and a Slytherin in his childhood.  “Scorpius and Albus were meant to be closer than friends” Then I see people describe “I couldn’t have done it without you” moments between the two. Two outcasts who are comfortable around one another to show appreciation, care and even love- as friends. It is in no way wrong or unnatural for two heterosexual young kids, later young teens, who are close as family. To assume that any close friendship must be a premise of more shows a lot about what we believe friendship should be, especially between boys- more guarded, detached. Less emotional, no hugging, no physical affection whatsoever. Physical affection between older children as always a sign of romantic interest, not a sign of two kindred souls. A cultural consideration to this- in Western culture, men are seen as less emotional, less expressive, less physically affectionate. What a better world it would be if every ounce of affection was celebrated but non-assuming, until such individuals actually called themselves otherwise!  It is not as if a strong friendship has never been a theme in the Harry Potter books. This seemed a struggle for even JK Rowling herself, who wanted to pair off Harry and Hermione, rather than exploring their friendship as deep and pure. I must confess, as a teenager, watching the fourth movie, I was not able to discount romantic tension between Harry and Hermione. When the famed “tent” scene happened in the The Deathly Hallows movie, my mind wandered to questions of compatibility. Rowling voices concern about Hermione and Ron being a realistic relationship that would survive the test of time, and I agree that their love was more passionate than realistic. In much the same way that Rose and Scorpius probably would not be realistic. But ah, life does not always follow our expectations. I find also from personal experience, as JK does, that sometimes the more serious, intellectual women “like their men funny”. And you know what? There comes a point in a lot of relationships where you have your differences, but your passion and respect for one another outweighs conflicting personality traits.  “Albus is too moody. Why is Albus so hostile, what does he have to worry about?” My final point, if I have worded this correctly, pertains to the notion that Albus shouldn’t be so glum, has no reason to be moody and is a strange contrast to what one assumes he should be. Albus lives in the looming shadow of his father, who he is learning is imperfect and human. Albus cannot seem to live with the notion that his father is not the hero everyone makes him out to be, and he gets angry. Most children view their parents as all-powerful and all-knowing up until a certain age, and disillusionment can be devastating. In this case, Albus also bears the weight of being a “Potter” and is expected to be just like the rest of the Potters in his awesomeness. As these expectations are not met, others tease him. He gets angry at himself for being the black sheep, and not living up to the expectations of others. All in all, he seems to crave a bit of normalcy not allowed of a Potter child.  So maybe my delight in this playscript rode on the coattails of its predecessors, and maybe people have every right to be angry at the differences between what they consider canon and what they never wanted to be canon. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect it to, nor do people, or even ourselves. We have our own expectations and when they are unmet, we are unsettled and not so much entertained. Though I do not agree with many of the points brought up surrounding this playscript, I understand why people feel the way they feel about it, in part because the tale was so non-fantastical in its characterization, so shockingly human to an almost unsettling point. And that is why I love and appreciate it, when all is said and done.