Here’s What Has Happened In The Wizarding World Before Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Begins

Here’s What Has Happened In The Wizarding World Before Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Begins

The play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been in production for a bit, but the script was released in book form yesterday. The plot is full of big revelations, but we’ve decided to focus on the information that isn’t actually a spoiler — just some the events that have occurred in-between the end of Deathly Hallows and the beginning of The Cursed Child.

Nothing here is a giant part of the plot of the play, but there might be some things that some people may consider a spoiler. So read at your own risk.

Here’s What Has Happened In The Wizarding World Before Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Begins

Here’s What Has Happened In The Wizarding World Before Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Begins

Most of what we learn concerns, unsurprisingly, the lives of Harry, Ron and Hermione in the period between the end of the main action of Deathly Hallows and its epilogue, which is reproduced, almost word for word, at the start of the play.

The Potters

As per the epilogue (and what Rowling has said in interviews and on Pottermore), Harry and Ginny have three children: James, Albus and Lily. Harry is the head of Magical Law Enforcement, while Ginny edits the sports page of the Daily Prophet. We see little of James and Lily, other than that they appear to be pretty normal little wizarding kids, but Albus teenage angst is very reminiscent of his father’s. Without, you know, all the trauma Harry had.

The Weasleys

Ron and Hermione have two children, the first named Rose (who’s the same age as Albus) and Hugo. As J.K. Rowling revealed earlier, Ron was an Auror for a time, but left after two years to help run Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, which is where he is for the duration of the play. His job’s given licence to his sense of humour — he sends his niece and nephews some very weird gifts.

Hermione, who was previously mentioned as being on the rise in the Ministry, is now the Minister for Magic. She also seems determined to run things fairly and she has a number of open meetings to discuss matters. It makes sense for Hermione, always described as the brightest witch of her year, to become the Minster. She’s smart, capable and an actual hero. Who’s going to go against her?

The kid we end up learning the most about in the play is Rose. She’s got skill on the Quidditch pitch (she’s a Chaser) and in the classroom. She’s also just a tad judgmental about people’s families. Intriguingly, she must look a lot like Hermione in canon because the stage directions have the same actress playing Rose and a younger Hermione.

Here’s What Has Happened In The Wizarding World Before Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Begins

Hogwarts

Hogwarts has been rebuilt to its former glory, with every ghost exactly where you remember him or her. Interestingly, either the school was rebuilt exactly the same as before or the Maurader’s Map is even more magical than we thought, because the Map is still accurate.

Also, Minerva McGonagall succeeded Severus Snape as headmaster and has stayed there for the last 20 years. She’s aided by Albus Dumbledore’s portrait, which is about as infuriating as the actual man was.

Other Assorted Facts:

  • Two decades have passed since the battle at Hogwarts, and Wizarding Britain seems to have settled back into something relatively normal.
  • Some of Voldemort’s minions are still on the loose, although the Aurors are still hunting them down. The ones caught are in Azkaban.
  • There are also stories about werewolves going “entirely underground”, trolls stirring up trouble in Hungary and giants walking through the seas.
  • The play also confirms that Time Turners, in all their send-people-an-hour-into-the-past plot-hole-inducing glory, have been destroyed.
  • Godric’s Hollow has a farmer’s market now to complement its statue of Harry and his parents.
  • Alas, Aunt Petunia has passed away in the intervening years.
  • Harry kept the Marauder’s Map for himself…
  • …but he gave the Invisibility Cloak to James.

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