My sister and I arrived at the Harry Potter midnight premiere in my mother's graduation robes. We completed the Horcrux Hunt, entered the drawings, and chatted with other Hogwarts enthusiasts. Finally, we left Barnes and Noble with our brand new copies of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I devoured the book, reading quickly. As I read, my attitude changed from excitement to confusion, from confusion to discomfort, from discomfort to dislike. This is the first Harry Potter book that I have had mixed feelings about, and hopefully the last. There are a few reasons that I hesitated to rave about it to my friends.
1. Script Format
It is really difficult to visualize a fictional magical adventure when you’re only given dialogue and a few stage notes! How can I understand the background of the situation when I have nothing to compare it to? If the Harry Potter series weren’t originally written in novel format, I would have no idea how to visualize Hogwarts or Diagon Alley, because there’s no equivalent in the real world. The novel is supposed to guide the reader into imagining things, and it is very difficult to pull that off in a script format. Script formats are obviously meant to be performed, and therefore is only the skeleton of the story which the actors build upon. Therefore, without an actor to supply an interpretation, the reader is forced to work even harder to keep up with the author’s vision in a script format.
2. Rose Granger-Weasley
Hermione Granger was my favorite character when I read the Harry Potter series. She embodied everything I wanted to be: smart, brave, loyal, beautiful and an excellent fighter. If I were in a pinch, I would pick Hermione Granger as my sidekick over Ron Weasley any day. (Speaking of which, I don’t think they’re good together, but that’s a separate subject entirely.) That’s why Rose was an utter disappointment to me. She’s smart and brave, but extremely petty. Hermione was never that way. She was best friends with Ron, for crying out loud! He acts like a complete dork for half the series and is relentlessly teased by almost everyone. She was even friends with Neville and Luna, who were basically outcasts.
I understand that Hermione didn’t have any Slytherin friends, but the only ones she knew were admittedly mean. Rose’s attitude toward Scorpius Malfoy is inexcusable since he’s the arguably the nicest angel child to ever walk through the gates of Hogwarts. (Yes, he was by far my favorite character.) On top of that, she ignores and bullies her own cousin, Albus. They seriously pretend to be friends in front of their parents, and then when they get on the train, she stops pretending and ignores him for the rest of the school year. It’s so difficult to swallow that my favorite character could have reared my least favorite character, and honestly, I don’t even think it’s realistic.
3. Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a terrible parent. Anyone who has read the book will agree. Yes, he does redeem himself, but there were times that I couldn’t believe how awful he was. He doesn’t understand his son, and instead of trying to understand him, he just ignores the very obvious issue, which widens the divide between them. He even told Albus that he wished Albus wasn’t his son! Anyone with a clear head should be able to reason that this is a poor choice. Words like those don’t go away. Yes, he didn’t have the example of his own parents. Still, if it were between Harry and the Dursleys, I’d say the parenting skills are matched.
4. Hermione Granger
This breaks my heart. Strong, kind, brilliant Hermione Granger is the Minister of Magic in this novel (as she should be) but she’s absolutely awful at her job. When a time turner is discovered (a magical device that allows one to travel through time) she doesn’t destroy it. Instead, she hides it. When Albus wants to save Cedric, he easily gets his hands on it and altars all of history. Seriously, if a ten-year-old can figure out your security system, then something’s wrong. I thought Hermione would be a strong and smart leader, but apparently, she is neither. When confronted by her actions, she replies defensively and skirts around her obvious tactical errors. I thought that Hermione Granger would own up to her shortcomings instead of making excuses, then would strive to do better. The new Hermione is much more foolish and weaker than the old Hermione, and it was hurtful to watch.
