“Cursed Child” Reactions – The Malfoy Family

I was awaiting the appearance of Draco on stage with baited breath. Was he going to destroy any plans the trio would come up with to the save the day? How many scathing lines would I hear that would make my blood boil?

Well, I was wrong… the Draco who appeared in front of me had grown up and matured. Maybe it was the influence of his wife - Astoria Greengrass - that helped him to experience a pure love that consequently changed his outlook on life. I found his openness and honesty with Harry and Ginny very touching and gave fans a look into what it felt like to be labeled a Malfoy. This was something that I believe I completely underestimated in my understanding of Draco while reading the books.

I believe that the most compelling piece of evidence we have to show that Draco was a changed man, and a good man at heart, was his son Scorpius Malfoy. Not only do we see Scorpius as an intelligent, well-rounded, and kind boy, but we also see that Draco - for all his faults - was a caring and good father. I found myself feeling proud of Draco. I was in awe at how he had challenged the difficult situations in life and was putting his son first in his life. Seeing Draco's ability to love someone else made me well up with emotion. Draco had truly become a strong man.

With this set in place, seeing Draco and the trio FINALLY working together was a powerful and sad moment for me. I had always felt that if only he and Harry could get past their differences, then they could be powerful allies. I was warmed to see that this was indeed true and was done in such a way that Draco's personality was unchanged from this development. However, this was bittersweet for me. I felt uneasy at the way Draco had been treated in his younger years and felt if only he had been shown some kindness things might have had a happier ending for him.  

In my dazed stupor at the end of Part 1, my friend commented, "Isn't it great how JKR has put everything Albus needs in one person?"

This struck me and it got me thinking. Scorpius is both witty and sarcastic and breaks the tension with jokes in a way that we are used to from Ron Weasley. He is an intelligent, geeky, and homework-loving student in a way that reminds us of Hermione Granger. He has a kindness and understanding of the power of friendship that develops further after the death of his mother. Seeing him become a half-orphan, something that Harry Potter clearly understood, reminded me of Harry's younger years. In a way, Scorpius was the embodiment of the trio and the friendship circle that Albus needed in his life - in the same way that Harry needed Hermione and Ron in his life.

Now, I think I am going to upset some people here, but - deep breath - I do not believe in the shipping of Albus and Scorpius. I believe that it is true friendship! Why do we need to ship them? Their friendship is pure, true to life, and honest. We need to celebrate this friendship and that for all Albus's faults (and there are many), he had learned one important lesson before Hogwarts - not to judge someone because of their name. The fact that Albus wants to be friends even though he was a Malfoy (and he had sweets) says a lot about his character.

I do also believe that Anthony Boyle's portrayal of Scorpius was so perfect that it is hard to put into words. Seeing Scorpius come alive on stage melted my heart and may have clouded my judgement a little on the character. But one thing is for sure - the Malfoys have become a pure-blood family who deserves to be remembered as a loving, honorable, and worthy addition to the wizarding world.