When something ends, it can leave you feeling one of two ways: either absolutely devastated, or wistfully content. But endings are a part of life. They need to happen one way or another to make room for the next great thing. When the Harry Potter franchise ended (seemingly) in 2011, all of us Potter Heads could agree that it was a bittersweet—albeit mostly bitter—feeling. The credits rolled on the last Harry Potter movie ever and we were in tears. But Queen Rowling didn’t leave us with nothing. She left us with the image that all was well and Harry and his friends lived happily for the rest of their days. Although I was sad, I felt satisfied. It was the end of an era—or so we thought.
Fast forward five years and us witches and wizards heard news of something completely new in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World that made our tearstained faces light up with joy. There was to be a new installment in the Harry Potter series and it was rumored to be epic. As you all know by now, that installment is “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”. Fans went wild when they heard about it because it meant that we would get to experience the genius of Mama Rowling once again.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” comes to us in a completely different way than ever before. It was released to the public as a new play by Jack Thorne based off an original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. It premiered at the Palace Theatre in London on July 30th, 2016. And by a happy coincidence, or by no coincidence at all (Rowling you sly fox), the script was published on July 31st for fans who would not be able to make it to Shaftesbury Avenue. For those of you confused by that “coincidence”, July 31st happens to not only be J.K. Rowling’s birthday, but Harry Potter’s as well.
This new story is set in Harry’s world, only nineteen years later. It focuses on Harry’s life as an employee of the Ministry of Magic and trying to do the most difficult job of all: being a parent. When his son, Albus, finally goes off to Hogwarts, things don’t turn out quite as they expected them to. But, then again, when does anything go as planned for Harry Potter? The script is fun and easy to read even for those who have never laid eyes on a play script before. They introduced colorful new characters and a brilliant plot. Along with all the new, there are plentiful glimpses into the old that will leave fans with nostalgia to last them a lifetime.
Harry Potter has been a part of our lives since we were children, and we are not about to give him up. It is one of those rare stories that touches your heart and completely changes your life. It will get passed along from generation to generation and live on forever. There is no true fan that will tell you that they are too old for Harry Potter. And there is no true fan that won’t scoff in the face of anyone who judges a world that we hold so dearly in our hearts. For us, this is not the end. The Wizarding World will forever be engrained in the pages we have turned a million times and in every crevice of our memory. So pick up a copy of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and follow Harry until the very end. And solemnly swear that you will always be up to no good.
