What do we know about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The buzz is still frantic over Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the eighth part of the Harry Potter story to be told as a play, premiering in London next year. Most people now know that it’s really hard to get tickets. They sold out almost immediately and the theatre run has now been extended for the second time into 2017. I’ve spent the entire day trying to buy four tickets today and have been unsuccessful; to say it’s frustrating doesn’t really cover it.

So with all the excitement around the play, what do we know so far about The Cursed Child? Who is it about, what might it be about and where is there for the story left to go. Here are some things we do know.

The Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series, and we know that it will begin straight after the ’19 Years Later’ ending to The Deathly Hallows.

The story will revolve around Harry Potter and his son Albus Severus Potter, who we saw off on the Hogwarts Express at the end of the series.

Albus is the one of Harry’s children who is most like him. We are told this too in the prologue of the Deathly Hallows.

Albus is the middle child of three children, born to Harry Potter and Ginny Potter (nee Weasley). His older brother is James Sirius Potter, and his younger sister Lily Luna Potter and the latter has not yet started Hogwarts school.

J.K Rowling says that Albus is the most interesting of all Harry’s children, and he must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted.

Harry Potter is now an overworked Ministry of Magic employee.

And to quote Dumbledore “From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork.”

We know that Albus’ initials are A. S. P, what we don’t know yet is whether there is a reference there to the poisonous snake, the Asp. Is Albus carrying traces of Voldemort’s curse?

We already know that Albus has fears of being sorted into Slytherin and maybe the Sorting Hat will give us our first inkling here.

Harry is an Auror, of this we’re fairly sure but whether that’s going to mean chasing any new dark wizards, we’re unsure. Because of course we’re fairly sure aren’t we that…

Voldemort is dead. Although there could be some strange twist of memory of magic as we have seen previously, I don’t think there can be any doubt that Tom Marvolo Riddle is finished.

Given the prologue scene at the station we can safely assume that Albus will be starting school with Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy, completing the trio and almost taking the entire books full circle.

Much of this is educated guesswork and I’m as excited as anyone to see what the eighth story will bring! Now, back to trying to buy tickets as I still haven’t succeeded!