When we left off with the expression “all was well” on the final page of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", most of us thought that would be the end of the beloved series. Although I have encountered many people who disagree with me, I was content with how the series ended – I’ve always been a sucker for a happy ending since life seldom works that way. However, J.K. Rowling decided this past year that she had not fully exhausted the "Harry Potter" saga. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is a newly released play on West End that had its script released on July 31 in the form of a book. The reaction to the new installment was tumultuous. The story follows the life of Harry’s second son Albus Severus as he goes to Hogwarts 19 years after Harry defeated Lord Voldemort and saved the Wizarding World for the second time. Here are the five things that I liked and the five things that I did not like about “Cursed Child.”

What I liked:

1. Albus’ friendship with Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Draco, is by far my favorite part of the new story. Despite the people around them blacklisting them because Albus doesn’t live up to the legacy that his father had before he and Scorpius are thought to be the progeny of Voldemort, they always find a way to stand by each other. They are both sorted into Slytherin – in the sorting scene that reminds me of when Harry followed Ron into Gryffindor – and I think that their relief to together make them the new “Harry and Ron” duo for me. I love the immediate connection that they form as outcasts and I wish that their bond was focused on more throughout the story.

2. The Golden Trio (Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger) working with Draco was something that I never saw coming but enjoyed more than I thought that I would. Draco’s development into a man who cared deeply for his son is something that I would never have imagined when reading the original series and for some people may seem out of character. However, it didn’t entirely surprise me since it became clear at the end of the original series that he didn’t want to become his father.

3. Scorpius playing a main role in the story was a pleasant surprise since we only ever got the original series through one perspective. One of the great things about a play is that it is easy to have multiple perspectives, but a decent chunk of the play is solely seen through the eyes of Scorpius, which could have ended up poorly if his character wasn’t as strong as he ended up being. In many ways, I view him as the next generation, Harry.

4. One of the biggest surprises for me was the return of old characters in alternate realities. Key characters like Dolores Umbridge and Severus Snape had guest appearances in the different realities formed when Albus and Scorpius tamper with time. While I disliked Umbridge and Snape in the original series, I couldn’t help but get excited by seeing them on the pages again. I was also excited by Dumbledore’s sporadic appearances via his various portraits to offer Harry needed, albeit questionable advice.

5. Hermione becoming the Minister of Magic is something that I should have expected, but it never occurred to me. I think it is great that Rowling wrote Hermione as a strong, levelheaded person from the time the character was 11-years-old to now as an adult. Although there are many character inconsistencies in the latest installment, Hermione is one of the few who maintains her true character and that is something that I was relieved about.

What I didn’t like:

1. The play should be seen rather than read. All plays are better when watched live in the form it was created for as opposed to being read on a piece of paper. The characters oftentimes make quips that require comedic timing that paper doesn’t deliver. Additionally, the stage direction at times is difficult – and borderline unbelievable – to follow, let alone imagine. Overall, I think that seeing the play in person is more ideal.

2. I am greatly upset that we do not see characters such as Rubeus Hagrid, Neville Longbottom and Teddy Lupin. All three characters are mentioned in the epilogue of “Deathly Hallows,” so I feel that they should have had some presence in the story, especially Hagrid and Neville since they are both at Hogwarts and most definitely would have looked out for Albus.

3. Many people, myself included, think that “Cursed Child” reads more as fanfiction than it did as canon. There are moments that were highly unbelievable, such as the character “Delphi Diggory” actually being Bellatrix and Voldemort’s love child who was conceived before the Battle of Hogwarts. When I first read that on the page, all I could think about was the outrageous fanfictions that Potterheads used to write about the pairing and how it seemed that Rowling scoured the internet for new and shocking ideas.

4. I absolutely hate how Rose Weasley – Ron and Hermione’s daughter – is prejudiced against Scorpius. After I read the epilogue, I pictured Albus, Rose and Scorpius as the next generation Golden Trio. To see that she is hateful toward him and that she disregards her once friendship with her cousin over the prejudices of more than two decades ago greatly disappoints me. To make matters worse, despite her disdain for him, he is still revealed to have a crush on her. Although my younger self would be thrilled by the confirmation of my self-professed “ship,” all I see when I look at the pairing now is something that is incredibly contrived and absolutely unhealthy.

5. I find issue when the plot to any story is written with the intention of providing “shock effect” rather than consistency and Rowling seems to have done that for “Cursed Child.” Most scenes end on a cliffhanger and although it makes you want to keep reading, it also is frustrating because, by the end, the story simply falls flat.

I personally think that Rowling was away from the Potter-verse for too long and forgot the most implicit personality traits of her characters. Should she continue the story of Albus and Scorpius in the future, I hope that she will reconsider the form in which she creates it and will revisit her old stories to take a closer look at the original personalities.