14 “Cursed Child” is a time-travel storyĪlthough all the pre-release marketing for the play made much ado about it being set in the year 2017, the first setting trick that Rowling and her co-writers play on the audience is that Albus’s first year in Hogwarts only occupies the first few minutes of the story the production very quickly skips forward to three years later, when he’s about to enter his fourth year. What hasn’t changed, of course, are the characters’ marriages and children: Harry and Ginny have James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna, while Rose and Hugo Granger-Weasley are the offspring of Ron and Hermione (though it should be noted that neither Lily nor Hugo are ever present in the play). What’s interesting about Cursed Child is how thoroughly it changes everything we thought we knew: Hermione Granger is minister of magic, Harry is the head of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry, Ron Weasley is the (apparently sole) proprietor of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, Ginny Potter is the sports editor of the Daily Prophet, and Minerva McGonagall is still the headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And then of course there's also the epilogue in the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which is set in the year 2017, when Harry’s second son, Albus Potter, finally gets his chance to head off to Hogwarts. Rowling has had ample time to fill everyone in on what the (main) cast of the Harry Potter books has been up to in the intervening 18 years (the novels span a timeframe of 1991 to 1998), thanks to the likes of interviews with the press and short stories that have periodically popped up over at her site, Pottermore. There’s much to unpack, so let’s get to it: here are the 15 Biggest Spoilers From Harry Potter And The Cursed Child. Much in keeping with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the story puts its emphasis on the next generation of the characters following the footsteps of their famous parents (or not) while also giving the original characters more than enough to do (including the opportunity to provide something of a thematic resolution to their own story). This has been more than enough time to let everyone digest the story, and more than enough time to allow us to tally all of its biggest shocks and reveals.įirst, though, a brief recap of its synopsis: the play kicks off with the scene that ended the Harry Potter novel series, showing 11-year-old Albus Severus Potter heading off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the very first time. It’s been over a week now since Harry Potter and the Cursed Child made its debut at London’s Palace Theater and its script went on sale around the world, selling more than two million copies in as many days. WARNING: this article contains SPOILERS for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child