By Daniella Ignacio ’17

Growing up, I was obsessed with “Harry Potter.” I lived for every movie release, I read the original seven books over and over on repeat, I wished I could go to Hogwarts. (I still do.) So when “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” came out this summer, this Ravenclaw was super hyped for what promised to be another fantastic installment into the book series that had shaped her formative years. However, I was stunned to discover that this play wasn’t everything that I had expected it to be.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is a play currently running on London’s West End with plans to transfer to Broadway. Written by Jack Thorne with original author J.K. Rowling’s blessing, it details life in the wizarding world nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry now works at the Ministry of Magic and has strained relationship with his son, Albus; Albus is best friends with Scorpius, the son of Harry’s longtime nemesis Draco Malfoy; and a new source of darkness stirs up problems in the world of magic. The events of this play change everything you thought about the system of time travel in the “Harry Potter” canon, some of he “Harry Potter” series’ most beloved couples and Voldemort. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but you might not be able to read scenes between Bellatrix and Voldemort the same way after reading “Cursed Child.”

So here comes the dilemma I constantly faced while reading this book: Do I allow the bad fanfiction-like aspects of this book to get to me and ruin the joy of experiencing what it’s like to read a new Harry Potter book – especially one that explores intriguing themes about family and friendships? Can I move past a rehashed time travel-related plot that I’ve already read a million variations of from fellow fans (and that, by the way, does not follow J.K. Rowling’s original ideas about wizarding time travel) and revel in the possibilities that alternate realities bring to the play?

Because, quite frankly, as a fan, I was shocked and slightly insulted that J.K. Rowling allowed this play to happen. OK, maybe that’s going a little too far. It’s not that I didn’t love some additions that “Cursed Child” brought to the “Harry Potter” canon.

For one, Scorpius Malfoy is a ray of sunshine in every interaction he has with his best friend, and his father’s appearances display maturity that I’d never seen from him in the original seven books, exhibiting immense character growth since his time with the Death Eaters. Albus’s inner turmoil because of his father and how people treat him because of his father makes readers just want to give him a hug. And the trolley witch’s moment in the spotlight was a bizarrely enjoyable inclusion.

But if you’re a diehard fan of the “Harry Potter” series, you may be disappointed by this new take on it. Read it for the new generation of wizards, for the opportunity to see Harry, Ron and Hermione again and for the joy of reading a new “Harry Potter” book, especially since we never thought that we would get one. Don’t read it if you’ll miss the magic of the original J.K. Rowling books.