Themes
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
Time, Mistakes, and the Past
Friendship, Family, Love, and Bravery
Reputation and Expectation
Death and Sacrifice
Summary
Analysis
Scorpius finds Albus in the library, and Albus tries to protest that they can’t talk. Scorpius says that the world has gone crazy and they can’t just ignore what they’ve done. Because of them, Rose wasn’t even born. Scorpius explains that he learned Ron took Hermione to the Yule Ball as friends, and then he started dancing with Padma Patil and they started dating and got married.
Scorpius appreciates the truly dire consequences of what they’ve done in changing the past, even though they were only there for five minutes. He also acknowledges that they have to fix it together, knowing that only in this way will they have the courage and the ability to fix what they’ve done.
Themes
Hermione didn’t go with Krum to the ball because she had suspicions that two strange Durmstrang boys were responsible for disarming Cedric—she thought that they were doing so under Krum’s orders and cost Cedric the first task. And because of that, Ron never got jealous of Krum and he and Hermione never fell in love or got married. Albus and Scorpius thus created huge ripples in time.
Scorpius’s explanation illustrates how simply interacting with Hermione—even in a small way—has had a deep consequence on the future. This again highlights the danger (even though this is a magical hypothetical) of fixating on or wanting to change the past.
Themes
Albus says that they have to go back and fix it—to get Cedric and Rose back. They’ll be more careful this time. Scorpius takes out the Time-Turner but worries about doing further damage. Albus grabs the Time-Turner and says they have to do something. Scorpius insists that they’ll get it wrong—that’s what they do. They’re losers and they mess things up. Albus protests that he wasn’t a loser until he met Scorpius. He pins Scorpius to the ground and insists that without Scorpius holding him back, he can make things right.
Albus’s harsh statement that he wasn’t a loser until he met Scorpius shows how even Albus has a preconceived perception of Scorpius as a loser due to the reputation Scorpius had. This also becomes a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, because it makes Scorpius isolated and insecure in a way that makes him truly feel like a loser. In this way, the play shows again the burdens that reputation place on people, and how such reputations can even introduce conflict into their most supportive relationships.
Themes
Scorpius sarcastically remarks that poor Albus Potter has such a sad life with a chip on his shoulder. He says that people look at Albus because Harry is a savior, whereas people look at Scorpius because they think his dad is Voldemort. Albus has always been selfish and has never considered anything beyond his own conflict with his father, but there are actually worse things in life.
While Scorpius and Albus share problems based on the reputations of their fathers (or alleged fathers), even Albus buys into an idea that Scorpius is a “loser” which only exists because of a reputation that Scorpius cannot control.
Themes
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Scorpius says that he got excited when they came back, that maybe Astoria didn’t get sick and die—but she still did. So people still think he’s Voldemort’s child while he doesn’t have a mother, and he supports Albus even though Albus doesn’t give anything back. Scorpius says Albus is a terrible friend.
Albus’s inability to truly support Scorpius and help him overcome this reputation shows problems within their friendship, because friends are expected to provide that encouragement and help overcome the obstacles that Scorpius faces.
Themes
Just then, Professor McGonagall approaches the library, calling to Albus and Scorpius that they shouldn’t be in there together. Albus says that they need to hide, pulling out the Invisibility Cloak. As they hide underneath the Cloak, McGonagall enters. Seeing nothing (though she knows that they’re hiding under the Cloak), she says that if she didn’t see them, she can’t do anything, and she exits.
Unlike Harry, Professor McGonagall recognizes that the boys need each other dearly, and so she puts their well-being over Harry’s need to control his son. Though she’s not technically a parent, her care for the boys shows that she is trying to see them on their own terms—something that Harry isn’t yet doing.
Themes
Albus and Scorpius emerge from under the Cloak, which Albus admits he stole from James. He apologizes for being a bad friend—for not talking about Astoria enough, and for avoiding Scorpius. He says that Harry explained Scorpius is a dark cloud around him and that they’re investigating his parentage. But Albus assures Scorpius that he doesn’t believe he could be Voldemort’s son, because he doesn’t believe Voldemort could have a child as incredibly kind as Scorpius is.
Albus’s acknowledgement that he’s been a bad friend for not supporting Scorpius underscores again how love and friendship are crucial for overcoming obstacles, even emotional ones like Scorpius dealing with the grief over his mother’s death. Albus tries to repair the friendship by making Scorpius feel supported through his struggles over being discriminated against as Voldemort’s son.
Themes
Albus knows Scorpius doesn’t hold him back—Scorpius makes him stronger, and he didn’t like his life without Scorpius in it. Besides, he knows that he has to sort out his problems with Harry, and that he’s lucky compared to Scorpius. Scorpius thanks Albus for the apology, and they hug, reconciling.
Albus explicitly affirms that Scorpius’s friendship makes him stronger, enabling him to overcome the struggles he faces in life. The love that they share even enables them to overcome obstacles in their own relationship, as shown here.
Themes
As they break away, Albus gets an idea about how to fix their mess. They can go back in time and humiliate Cedric in the second task. And he has an idea about how to get Rose back. But he needs Scorpius there—he wants to do this together. Scorpius agrees, though he points out that Albus isn’t allowed to leave the building, and the second task took place in the lake. Albus suggests that they find the girls’ bathroom on the first floor.
This exchange illustrates exactly the kind of obstacles that Albus needs Scorpius’s friendship in order to overcome. However, they still don’t fully appreciate the dangers in trying to go back and change time, choosing instead to change time once more rather than try to correct what they’ve done.
Themes
