Harry Potter and the Cursed Childseeks to undo one problem with the original series, but the play’s entire premise rests on a detail that makes no sense after a rule established 18 years earlier. TheHarry Potterbooksintroduce many rules throughout their run, seeking to explain how magic works within the Wizarding World — and why certain storylines play out the way they do. Most of these pieces of lore hold up years later, like the fact thatFelix Felicis couldn’t solve Harry Potter’s problemsor the fact thattime-turners couldn’t be used regularly.
However, some ofHarry Potter’s established lore holds up less well, especially after later additions to the franchise, likeHarry Potter and the Cursed Child.Albus' journey in theHarry Pottersequel challenges the former canon in multiple ways, andone detail that kicks off Albus' story doesn’t fit with Harry’s experience in the original series.Cursed Childuses Albus being a Slytherin to set its conflict in motion, but if the play had followedChamber of Secrets’Sorting Hat rule, this wouldn’t have happened.
Albus Potter Being In Slytherin Makes No Sense Given Established Sorting Hat Lore
By Chamber Of Secrets Standards, He Could Have Chosen Differently
The tensions between Harry and Albus inHarry Potter and the Cursed Childstem from Albus being sorted into Slytherin, butthis doesn’t line up withChamber of Secrets’take on the Sorting Hat. Albus is clearly terrified of being placed in Slytherin, buying into the bad reputation the Hogwarts house receives from just about every Wizarding World character. Albus and Scorpius go on to prove that Slytherins aren’t all bad, but Albus being sorted into Slytherin doesn’t make sense in the first place.
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After all,Harry himself is nearly placed in Slytherin inHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.He shares the same fears as Albus, and the Sorting Hat’s mind is made up when Harry specifically requests to be put in Gryffindor instead. Harry spends much of his second year fretting about the Sorting Hat’s insistence that he’d do well in Slytherin. And when he asks Dumbledore about it at the end ofHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,Dumbledore explains, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
If Albus is truly afraid of being a Slytherin, then byChamber of Secrets’standards, he should be able to select another Hogwarts house.
Dumbledore’s words imply thatHarry is put in Gryffindor over Slytherin because the Sorting Hat takes one’s choices into account, and Harry tells Albus as much inThe Cursed Child. But this raises questions about Albus' sorting in the play. If Albus is truly afraid of being a Slytherin, then byChamber of Secrets’standards, he should be able to select another Hogwarts house. However, given thatThe Cursed Child’s entire plot rests on Albus' sorting, the play breaks the Sorting Hat lore established 18 years earlier.
Why Cursed Child Breaks Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets' Sorting Hat Rule
The Story Is Supposed To Challenge The Original Series' View Of Slytherin
The Cursed Childbreaks the Sorting Hat rule fromHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsin order to keep its plot going, butit also does so because the play intentionally challenges the original series' perspective of Slytherins. Although Snape proves that all Slytherins aren’t evil inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,the Hogwarts house mostly earns its bad name. Most of the Slytherin characters introduced in the first seven books are antagonistic characters, and many of the Death Eaters also come from Slytherin.
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This is why Harry is upset when Albus is sorted into Slytherin, kicking off the chain of events that leads toHarry Potter and the Cursed Child’s central conflict. AndThe Cursed Childcommits to upending his view of Slytherin, while pushing the audience to see past its harsh reputation as well. This works to a certain extent, but it does feel a bit messy after how the Slytherin students are portrayed in the original books. And the fact that Albus' sorting doesn’t fit with the series' established Sorting Hat lore makes the play’s efforts even more questionable.
Cursed Child Would Have Been More Interesting If Albus Actively Chose Slytherin
AlthoughCursed Child’s attempts to undoHarry Potter’s portrayal of Slytherin house are admirable, the play would arguably have been more interesting if it hadn’t brokenChamber of Secrets’Sorting Hat rule. Albus being scared of getting sorted into Slytherin — and Harry’s negative reaction to his son’s placement — uphold the original series' views more than they challenge them. AndtheHarry Pottersequel could have had more interesting conversations if Albus had wanted to be sorted into Slytherin, or if he had maintained a friendship with Scorpius despite being in different houses.
Unfortunately, this is just one of many issues that arise when attempting to fitHarry Potter and the Cursed Childinto the established canon.
Unfortunately, this is just one of many issues that arise when attempting to fitHarry Potter and the Cursed Childinto the established canon. Such details will make it difficult to adapt the sequel on the heels of the original series without reworking both to fit together more smoothly. Fortunately, withHBO’s upcoming remake, aHarry Potter and the Cursed Childmovie is likely a long way off. One should consider shifting Albus' motivations a bit, though, rather than upending years of existing Sorting Hat lore.
