Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Book Summary
by JKRowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is about the journey Albus takes while growing up, and the roles he and his best friend, Scorpius (Draco Malfoy’s son), play when dark forces, perhaps in league with Voldemort, once again threaten the fate of the planet.”
– NY Times
The book is written as a script for the play with the same name. This will mark the 8th book of Harry Potter and it’s divided into 2 Parts of 2 Acts each.
Act I
The scene starts with Harry Potter, Ginevra, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger sending off their kids for their first day of school at Hogwarts.
Albus Potter and Rose Granger-Weasley are looking for where to sit on the train, they wanted to be careful because on the first train to school their parents met, and Rose suggested they could find good friends as well. They meet Scorpius Malfoy where Albus gets along well with him, but Rose chooses to keep exploring.
At the Sorting Ceremony, Rose is placed in Gryffindor, Scorpius and Albus in Slytherin.
The kids will make fun of Albus, for not performing as well as his father. As years pass by things do not improve for Albus. Rose becomes very popular and a Chaser for her Griffindor.
In the 3rd year, Albus asked Harry to be left alone on the platform. Harry feels hurts and blames this on Scorpius for creating this distance between him and his son.
On the same day, Harry refuses to help Draco Malfoy with the rumour of his wife Astoria making a child with Voldemort.
Hermione, the Minister of Magic, and Potter decide to put the prototype of the time-turner away until they find a way to destroy it.
When Amos Diggory asked Harry to use the device to save his son Cedric, he refuses. But Albus hears this secretly and decides to help him.
Before returning to school, Harry goes to give Albus a gift(his blanket) and hopes they will reconnect. Albus tries to tell Harry what he experienced at school and ends up saying he wishes he wasn’t a Potter. Harry gets upset and approves of it, but when realizing what he said the harm was already done. At night Harry’s scar starts to hurt again, for the first time in years.
The next day Albus goes to school and plans to steal the time-turner and save Cedric.
He finds Scorpius and decides to get off the train, while was still running.
At Amos's home, Delphi helps them in turning into Harry, Ron and Hermione, and they go to take the device.
When they reach Hermione's office, the fake Hermione goes to look for the device and two 2 others stand outside to guard.
Drago and Harry decide to set aside their difficulties and start looking for the boys since they didn’t make it to the school.
Act II
Albus suggests stopping Cedric from winning the Triwizard Tournament, so they can save him. While they were on the way to find Cerid, the device starts to get unstable so go back in their time with Albus injured.
While Albus is in the hospital, Harry talks with a painting of Albus Dumbledore who said to see Albus for what he is.
When Albus wakes up he sees that this is a different timeline, where he is in Gryffindor, and Rose wasn’t born because Hermione didn’t marry Ron and Cedric is still dead.
Harry forbids Albus's friendship with Scorpius.
At school, Hermione is the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and she is seen as mean.
Delphi goes to Hogwarts and tells Albus and Scorpius to go again and try.
They did but when they returned, only Scorpius appears in the present. Cedric was saved but Harry died and Voldemort won and at school things changed.
Act III
In this present Scorpius is a popular student at Hogwarts and there is a Voldemort Day.
His father is the Head of Magical Law Enforcement but is not very helpful. Professor Snape is alive and is secretly a member of Dumbledore’s Army.
The plan is now to go back in time and stop himself from intervening. Before Scorpius leaves, Snape tells him to let Albus know that he is proud that he has his name.
The plan works and the original timeline returns. Harry makes peace with Albus.
Now Scorpius suggest to Albust to destroy the time-turner. When they ask for Delphi's help she reveals her intention to actually save Voldemort.
They are forced to travel once more. Albus and Scorpius meet Cedric who helps them get the device back, believing is an obstacle for the tournament, and they let him know that his father loves him. Sort after Delphi steals the device.
Back at home, the parents found out that she is Voldemort's daughter.
Act IV
Albus and Scorpius find out that Delphi set the time for 30 October 1981, the day before Harry's parents are murdered.
They try to send a message on Harry's baby blanket saying: "Dad.Help.Godric's Hollow.31/10/1981.”
Harry and Ginny decipher the massage. Drago has a time-turner and they go back in time to get the kids. They make Harry look like Voldemort and set a meeting with Delphi. He pretends to accept her as a daughter but the magic fades, and after some struggles, they capture her.
Lord Voldemort goes and kills Harry's parents and the rest do not intervene so the present will not change. When they return Delphi is sent to Azkaban.
Albus and Scorpius return to Hogwarts. Scorpius likes Rose and she let him kiss her on the cheek.
Albus and Harry go to Cedric's grave which Harry visits every year to say sorry and they are full of hope for their relationship.
Note: Some pieces of information are left out of the book.
Get the full experience by reading it! ❤
