With so many kids in the next generation of Harry Potter characters, there were several avenues a spinoff could have addressed. While Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the only Harry Potter content focusing specifically on the next generation as main characters, it is only valid for Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. Albus and Scorpius lead the play through a time travel scheme gone very wrong. But, what about the rest of the Potter-Weasley clan? In the play, they are primarily written off by claiming that Albus is not very close to them, in favor of playing up his friendship with Scorpius. Couldn’t the storyline also have the time to portray Albus’ relationships with his family more heavily? Likewise, it could have had the storyline not been so dedicated to showing Albus and Scorpius in the past or alternate timelines.
The next generation would have significant storylines ahead of them had a sequel given them a chance to shine. James Sirius Potter, Lily Luna Potter, Rose Weasley, and Hugo Weasley all could have been given more significant parts of the overall storyline. In addition, the other Weasley cousins and Teddy Lupin deserved to be developed more than the play allowed.
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3 Scorpius Malfoy’s Desire to Prove He is Good
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The Malfoy name is mainly affiliated with Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa, known as Death Eaters. But, how is it fair that young Scorpius, who was not even a thought during that time, carries on the negative attributes of the Malfoy legacy? Scorpius is the furthest thing from a Death Eater in the play, his personality shining through as someone it would be hard to connect with as being Draco’s son in the first place. But, Scorpius’ story could have been more dived into, portraying a young kid desperate to be seen as something other than evil or evil adjacent. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child never even suggests being a Malfoy is an issue for Scorpius, at least, not his biggest one. The most significant rumor Scorpius faces is that people believe he is Voldemort’s biological son.
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Although Scorpius’ friendship with Albus proves he is a good person, many of their classmates still allow Scorpius to be an outcast at school, giving into rumors and stories about Scorpius being potentially dark and dangerous. While Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will enable Scorpius to acknowledge his frustrations over the rumors and how the world sees him, it mainly erupts during a fight with Albus. Otherwise, Scorpius is played as a happy and comical young wizard, relying on his friendship with Albus as his light in the darkness without the angry burdens of those before him.
2 Significance of Name Sakes
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When Harry and Ginny decide to name their children, they do not just give their kids names they find in a book. Instead, their decisions followed a desire to honor those they had loved. Although Albus Severus Potter gets the most attention, he is not the only child with a deep history attached to his name. Albus’ name has many complicated stories and feelings attached to it due to Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. However, James Sirius Potter and Lily Luna Potter have a lot to live up to. Given the names of two pranksters, a war hero, and a wrongfully convicted felon, James’ identity is already attached to the two men he is named after. However, a name like that could come with pressure to live up to expectations. Lily would also face a similar question, even though her middle name is after a person still alive.
What if the Potter kids found more struggle, pressure, or uncertainty in their names than pride or joy? A next-generation story could have been about finding one’s own identity when their name is already entwined with other significant and well-known people. There are references to the attachments Albus has to his name, but James and Lily receive barely any time in the play to see their thoughts or feelings. How do they deal with the weight of their names? Do they find conflict in it? Are they fine?
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1 The Pressure of Being War Hero’s Children
Being Harry Potter’s kids may not have been so easy. These children have likely been followed their entire lives in some way or the other by the wizarding world media or citizens. The same could be said for Rose and Hugo Weasley, raised by two other essential war heroes, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. While the wizarding world was probably waiting for chaos and terror from Scorpius Malfoy, they were perhaps just as interested in the hopeful, bright future that Albus, James, Lily, Rose, and Hugo would participate in building. Albus Potter dives into that a bit during Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, acknowledging his differences from Harry and potential expectations of how people view him. In her brief moments in the play, Rose seems to give in to the pressures of attention, standing beside Albus to keep up appearances, but it is never clear what all her thoughts and feelings are on the matter. James, Lily, and Hugo never get a moment to discuss it or be involved in anything significant.
Were people constantly waiting for them to do great things like Harry, Hermione, and Ron had? What was growing up in the public eye like? How did it affect their perspective of themselves or their relationships with their families? Were they all, for the most part, a big happy family without many issues?
