Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Part 1, Act 1, Scene 1 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 2 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 3 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 4 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 5 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 6 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 7 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 8 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 9 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 10 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 11 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 12 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 13 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 14 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 15 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 16 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 17 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 18 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 19 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 1 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 2 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 3 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 4 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 5 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 6 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 7 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 8 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 9 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 10 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 11 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 12 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 13 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 14 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 15 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 16 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 17 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 18 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 19 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 20 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 1 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 2 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 3 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 4 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 5 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 6 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 7 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 8 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 9 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 10 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 11 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 12 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 13 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 14 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 15 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 16 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 17 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 18 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 19 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 20 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 21 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 1 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 2 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 3 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 4 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 5 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 6 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 7 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 8 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 9 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 10 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 11 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 12 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 13 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 14 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 15
Themes
All Themes Parenthood Time, Mistakes, and the Past Friendship, Family, Love, and Bravery Reputation and Expectation Death and Sacrifice
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Albus Severus Potter Harry Potter Scorpius Malfoy Delphi Diggory Draco Malfoy Voldemort Ginny Weasley Hermione Granger Severus Snape Cedric Diggory Albus Dumbledore Ron Weasley Rose Granger-Weasley Amos Diggory Astoria Malfoy James Potter (Harry’s Son) James Potter (Harry’s Father)
Terms
All Terms Death Eater Durmstrang Dementors Parseltongue Squib The Triwizard Tournament
Symbols
All Symbols Time-Turners Harry’s Blanket The Augurey
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Part 1, Act 1, Scene 2 Summary & Analysis

Parenthood Theme Icon
Time, Mistakes, and the Past Theme Icon
Friendship, Family, Love, and Bravery Theme Icon
Reputation and Expectation Theme Icon
Death and Sacrifice Theme Icon
Themes and Colors Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Parenthood Theme Icon
Parenthood
Time, Mistakes, and the Past Theme Icon
Time, Mistakes, and the Past
Friendship, Family, Love, and Bravery Theme Icon
Friendship, Family, Love, and Bravery
Reputation and Expectation Theme Icon
Reputation and Expectation
Death and Sacrifice Theme Icon
Death and Sacrifice
Summary
Analysis
The magical platform nine and three quarters springs into view, where tons of wizard families are saying goodbye to their children. Just then, Ron, Hermione, and their daughter Rose approach Harry and Ginny. Ron (who manages Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes) does a lame magic trick stealing Lily’s nose, which everyone enjoys. Around them, people start to stare, and Ron jokes that it’s because he’s extremely famous.
Even many years after the events of the Harry Potter series, the play emphasizes how Harry, Ron, and Hermione—but particularly Harry—have an inescapable reputation. Harry will always be stared at as the boy who saved the entire wizarding world, and even though this is positive attention, it is still a burden he carries with him everywhere.
Active Themes
Reputation and Expectation Theme Icon
Albus pulls Harry aside, worrying again about what might happen if he’s put in Slytherin, which is notorious for dark witches and wizards. Harry reassures his son by telling him that he was named after two men—Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. Snape was a Slytherin, and Harry tells Albus that Snape was the bravest man he ever knew. Harry adds that the Sorting Hat will take Albus’s feelings into account—it did for Harry.
Albus’s two names—for two men who sacrificed themselves in order to fight the dark wizard Voldemort—reinforce the burden of expectation that Albus feels. Even though Harry is trying to alleviate Albus’s worry that he will be placed in Slytherin, Albus’s name also hints at the burden of living up to two exceptionally brilliant and brave wizards in addition to his father’s example.
Active Themes
Reputation and Expectation Theme Icon
Quotes
Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron then say goodbye to Albus, James, and Rose. Albus hugs his parents nervously and climbs on board. As they watch their children go, Harry thinks it’s strange that Albus is worried about being sorted into Slytherin. Hermione remarks that Rose is worried about breaking Quidditch records and taking her O.W.L.s. Ginny asks how Harry would feel if Albus were sorted into Slytherin, but they’re interrupted. Hermione asks to go, saying that people are always staring at them, and as they leave, Harry assures Ginny that Albus will be alright.
Active Themes
Parenthood Theme Icon
Reputation and Expectation Theme Icon
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