There was a time when I was an avowed Potterhead.
Was? Maybe not – in Germany on holiday last year, one of the very few things I bought myself as a souvenir was a set of Hogwarts' house socks. I wear Slytherin when I feel underconfident, Ravenclaw when I need to pull out a lot of information from vague parts of my brain, Gryffindor when I need courage and Hufflepuff when I need to exercise. I have a Hogwarts insignia sleeping shorts (thanks Sarojini Nagar!) and this month, I will be a guest speaker at a Harry Potter themed creative writing course, where I'll be talking about Hermione and female characters.
Want more? I know the lore, I know what house I'd be in (according to Pottermore, the official JK Rowling website – I'm a Slytherin, but I'm fairly sure I lack the motivation to be anything but a Hufflepuff), and back in the early noughties, I belonged to an unofficial Harry Potter forum called Mugglenet where I very nerdily created my own avatars to display by my name, did little challenges to win gold (and was sorted into Ravenclaw).
I bought the books bright and early on the mornings they were released. I read the fan fiction (Draco + Harry forever!) and I wept the most for Hedwig of all the book characters.
I want a new book
So, I'm a Potterhead. A late generation, mid-thirties lover of a children's book series, along with several other adults around the globe who still gaze wistfully at owls hoping for a message saying there's an adult education class at Hogwarts that we've been invited to, who know exactly how to pronounce Wingardium Leviosa and can explain the rules of Quidditch but fail at comprehending cricket at all (that last one is probably just me.)
And now there's a play. A sequel. Episode eight. And across the world, fans like me are going crazy – what does the world look like, who is the villain, what will he be like, what will he say – it's almost like being reunited with an old boyfriend, so well did you know his mind and what he did and whom he spoke to and what he thought, you're almost a little nervous about what comes next.
Of course, the main thing to remember is that Harry Potter And The Cursed Child is not, in fact, book eight. It is a spin-off of the original books, written by Rowling and two others, and the book is a bound version of the script, which will premier on stage in London this July. There are already some reviews online of the preview performances, and those are mixed.
The grown-up version? Hmmm
From The University Star: “reads like a fan-fiction written by a 12-year-old,” “blatantly poor characterisations and rip-off plot manoeuvres,” and “an enormous and frankly overwhelming disappointment.” From Cinema Blend: “it's a thrill to see the mature versions of JK Rowling characters.”
That is pretty much how I felt when I read the epilogue of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, the very last book. My thoughts went: a) Awww, everyone is alive and well! b) Oh, wow, how convenient for everyone to just marry their childhood sweethearts, because that would totally happen in real life c) they must have started having babies really early for each of them to have multiple school going kids at this point d) why is everyone being a mumsy mum and a dadsy dad? I'd expect a little more. e) If you're going to call your child Albus Severus, be prepared for a long life of people teasing him. f) Still no cellphones allowed, eh? Would that not be faster than owl-ing your message to the moon?
My thoughts on Harry Potter And The Cursed Child are a bit more jumbled. On the one hand, I am exceedingly curious and excited to read about what happens next and how everyone is as a parent and so on and so forth. On the other hand, I hope there's also action and magic and fighting, all the things I loved about the books.
From the book summary on Amazon, it looks very much like it's a father-son tale: “Harry Potter plays the role of a man finally living out the quiet, conventional lifestyle he always wanted to live as a Minister of Magic employee, who is a doting husband and father of three. Yet, he struggles to escape the haunting past, the demons of which continue to consume him. The play also features a grown up Albus Severus Potter following the footsteps of his legendary father and labouring to carry the burden of a family bequest and fortune he hadn't expected. As the past meets the present, the legendary father and son duo strive to come to terms with the darkness that lies within and overcome their inner demons.”
I think I'll read it with my Hufflepuff socks on.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!