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Harry’s blanket represents how his and Albus’s relationship changes over time, from one filled with struggle to one filled with understanding. The blanket is a source of love, comfort, and even luck for Harry—it is the only thing that he has left from his parents, who died when he was young. However, giving the blanket to Albus shows how Harry misunderstands their bond; even though the gift has meaning for Harry, it doesn’t have the same meaning for Albus. Harry can’t see that Albus is his own person who doesn’t share Harry’s experiences. As a result, Albus rejects the gift—a stand-in for the way that Albus rejects Harry’s love.
However, at the end of the play, when Albus and Scorpius are trapped in 1981 and struggling to know how to get a message to Harry, he sees Harry’s mother Lily wrap baby Harry in the blanket and appreciates the blanket’s significance. He then realizes that he can use the blanket to tell Harry when and where they are, knowing that Harry will soon see the message at exactly the right time in the present. In this way, the blanket reflects how Albus and Harry are repairing their relationship, as Albus is able to use the blanket to forge a connection between them across time. The blanket also allows Albus to receive Harry’s support as Harry rescues Albus from being stranded in time, suggesting the new bonds in their relationship as they reconcile.
Harry’s Blanket Quotes in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child quotes below all refer to the symbol of Harry’s Blanket. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1, Act 1, Scene 7
Quotes
HARRY: Albus, I want you to have the blanket.
ALBUS: And do what with it? Fairy wings make sense, Dad, invisibility cloaks, they also make sense—but this—really?
HARRY is slightly heartbroken. He looks at his son, desperate to reach out.
HARRY: Do you want a hand? Packing. I always loved packing. It meant I was leaving Privet Drive and going back to Hogwarts. Which was… well, I know you don’t love it but…
ALBUS: For you, it’s the greatest place on earth. I know. The poor orphan, bullied by his uncle and aunt Dursley…
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HARRY (finally losing his temper): You know what? I’m done with being made responsible for your unhappiness. At least you’ve got a dad. Because I didn’t, okay?
ALBUS: And you think that was unlucky? I don’t.
HARRY: You wish me dead?
ALBUS: No! I just wish you weren’t my dad.
HARRY (seeing red): Well, there are times I wish you weren’t my son.
There’s a silence. ALBUS nods. Pause. HARRY realizes what he’s said.
No, I didn’t mean that…
ALBUS: Yes. You did.
HARRY: Albus, you just know how to get under my skin…
ALBUS: You meant it, Dad. And, honestly, I don’t blame you.
There’s a horrible pause.
You should probably leave me alone now.
HARRY: Albus, please…
ALBUS picks up the blanket and throws it.
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Get the entire Harry Potter and the Cursed Child LitChart as a printable PDF.
Harry’s Blanket Symbol Timeline in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The timeline below shows where the symbol Harry’s Blanket appears in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Act 1, Scene 7
...them. Harry gives Albus a love potion that Ron sent before pulling out a small blanket.
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...Albus is 14 now, and he wanted to give his son something of significance. This blanket is the only thing he has from his mother, Lily—he was given to the Dursleys...
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...hurt, explaining that he thinks his mother, Lily, would have wanted Albus to have the blanket, too. Harry can also come visit on the anniversary of his parents’ death and he...
(full context)
...is trying to push his buttons. Albus wonders what Harry thought giving Albus a “moldy blanket” would accomplish, mockingly suggesting that Albus would say he always loved Harry and that they...
(full context)
...Harry says he didn’t mean that. Albus says he doesn’t blame Harry, picking up the blanket and throwing it. It collides with Ron’s love potion, which spills all over the blanket....
(full context)
Part 2, Act 4, Scene 5
...house with Harry in a stroller, and Albus sees that she’s wrapping Harry in a blanket. Albus remarks that that blanket is the only thing that Harry ever had from her....
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Albus realizes then that Harry still has the blanket—and just before the start of the year, it got soaked with a love potion. Albus...
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Part 2, Act 4, Scene 6
Harry then picks up the blanket from where Albus tossed it, saying that it’s all he has left to remember his...
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Part 2, Act 4, Scene 13
...he won’t be forgotten. Suddenly, Hagrid sees baby Harry and gathers him up in his blanket. Hagrid tells Harry that he’s going to be Harry’s friend.
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