In Deathly Hallows, Voldemort talks about his dreams for a 'New World'; a world of darkness, a world of fear, and a world in which he rules. It is through this world that we enter into Part Two of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. We've gone through and picked all our favourite and most 'hidden' references to the original series below, but make sure to read our post on Part One (which can be found here) if you haven't already!
Part Two begins as Part One ends, with a scene involving Dolores Umbridge. Although not written in the script (you'll have to take our word for it!) on stage students salute their new headmistress, the same role Umbridge took up in the Order of the Phoenix. She seems to favour Scorpius in some way, praising his potential and abilities, echoing the way she was with Draco, awarding him house points and handpicking him for the Inquisitorial Squad.
Something else which isn't found in the script, is how visibly Hogwarts has changed. In this darker alternative timeline, Voldemort did as he promised when he believed he was the victor at the Battle of Hogwarts. "'There will be no Sorting at Hogwarts school,' said Voldemort. 'There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield and colours of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone.'" And thus, in the beginning of Act Three, Slytherin banners are hanging. They're harsher looking, ever so slightly darker, and the serpent is more rigid and geometric in design.
Scene 3 finds Scorpius in his father's office at the Ministry of Magic. He rages about the horrific treatment the world is receiving under Voldemort and recalls 'three wizards blowing up bridges to see how many Muggles they can kill with one blast!' This is a direct reference to the opening of the Half Blood Prince, in which Fudge and the Muggle PM talk about Death Eaters bringing down the Brockdale Bridge, killing a dozen Muggles in the process. In the original series we got a taste of how awful a world under Voldemort would be, but this is so much worse.
This reality also sees Scorpius known as the 'Scorpion King'; a dark nickname, similar to how Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort as his power grew. However, we know Voldemort chose a new name for himself as he was ashamed of bearing his father's common name, leading us to question whether the Scorpius we hear about in the dark AU was also ashamed of his father, despite clear references solidifying his evil nature.
With the arrival of Severus Snape also comes a few references to the original books. In Scene 6, he berates Hermione multiple times, telling her 'You know you never could listen. You were a terrible bore of a student...' and 'you were moderate to average'. This forms a direct reference to when he takes five points from Gryffindor purely because he feels Hermione is 'being an insufferable know-it-all.'
Another reference comes from Ron, who welcomes Snape's arrival calling it 'a royal visit...' which is no doubt a nod to him being 'the Half-Blood Prince.'
At one point in the play, Ron says 'So you'll telling me the whole of history rests of Neville Longbottom?!' in complete disbelief. It's reminder that the prophecy (the 'big' one, as Albus puts it) could very easily have meant Neville, if not for Lord Voldemort choosing to mark Harry as his equal. It is Harry who then, in a sense, marks Neville as his equal when he tells him to kill the snake. With Nagini still alive, Voldemort can never die, thus ushering in the dark splinter AU that we see.
'Hermione, you're the most wanted rebel in the wizarding world,' Snape declares, meaning that now the Order of the Phoenix are gone, Dumbledore's Army almost decimated and Harry Potter dead, Hermione Granger has claimed the title of Undesirable No. 1.
After travelling in time, Ron finds himself with an injured leg. He's quickly back on his feet, despite being in a lot of pain. This is the second time Ron has stood on a broken leg to protect his friends from harm, the first being in Prisoner of Azkaban when he is quick to defend Harry when they still believe Sirius to be a villain. 'If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!' he says fiercely, demonstrating true Gryffindor bravery despite his leg sticking out at a strange angle.
As the Dementors descend onto the stage out to get Hermione, she tells Ron that she loves him and she always has. She tells them to go, she'll stall the Dementors and try to buy Scorpius some time. An astounded Ron replies 'Can we talk about the love thing first!' It's a small nod to Deathly Hallows when during the Battle of Hogwarts Ron suggests warning the resident house-elves to get out. Hermione responds by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him, to which Harry replies, 'Is this the moment? ... OI! There's a war going on here!' Now or never, indeed, Ron.
This Dementor scene is one of the most hauntingly beautiful moments of the entire play, we see Scorpius come face to face with "one of the foulest creatures to walk the earth." Most interesting is the affect the Dementors have on Scorpius, who laments that he can hear his mother as the creature hangs above him; a parallel of Harry himself who suffered similarly, recalling that 'when they get near me - I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum.'
When trying to encourage Scorpius to fight the Dementors, Snape instructs him to 'Think about those you love,' to 'Think about Albus.' This is actually another experience Scorpius shares with Harry when they come into close contact with a Dementor. He too found comfort and strength from his friends. "It was of Ron and Hermione that he thought as he whispered, Expecto Patronum!'" and once again in the final battle, when Luna tells him 'We're all still here ... we're still fighting. Come on now...' The power of friendship spurs Harry on.
Finally, we come to the ever famous Doe, 'Lily's Patronus,' which acts as a guide to both Scorpius, when returning to his own time, and for Harry during his time on the run in Deathly Hallows. The Doe Patronus led Harry to Gryffindor's sword and was eventually used by Neville to slay Nagini.
During another scene, not described in the script, we see other students of Hogwarts spreading the news of Albus and Scorpius's escapades via a series of whispers and notes. This spreading of secrets harks back to the beginning of the series in Philosopher's Stone in which Dumbledore quotes that 'What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so naturally the whole school knows.'
In a scene in the Slytherin dormitory, Scorpius is in a very chipper mood despite being in lockdown and in constant detention. 'What's the worst they could do? Bring back Mouldy Voldy and have him torture me?' he jokes. In the penultimate chapter of Deathly Hallows, after the battle was been won, Peeves the poltergeist zooms about the castle corridors singing 'We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter's the one, And Voldy's gone mouldy, so now let's have fun!' Again, this is quite a niche reference to the original series.
In one of Harry's prophetic nightmares, we hear Voldemort hiss 'I smell guilt, there is a stench of guilt upon the air.' These are the exact words Voldemort spoke to his Death Eaters upon his resurrection in Goblet of Fire, shortly after Cedric Diggory had been killed.
When Albus and Scorpius are up in the Owlery debating how they can destroy the Time-Turner, Scorpius suggests using Stupefy. 'They were originally destroyed using Stupefy,' he correctly states. In fact it was actually Neville Longbottom who destroyed them. "The jet of red light flew right over the Death Eater's shoulder and hit a glass-fronted cabinet on the wall full of variously shaped hourglasses. The cabinet fell to the floor and burst apart, glass flying everywhere, then sprang back up on the wall, fully mended, then fell down again, and shattered -"
We discover at the end of Act Three that Delphi, who has been masquerading as the niece of Amos Diggory, is actually the daughter of Lord Voldemort. We later discover that Delphi's mother is none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, Voldemort's right-hand woman, his 'female Death Eater par excellence,' as JK Rowling once put it. Voldemort was her 'idol, her obsession,' and in the first chapter of Deathly Hallows, she leans across the table towards him, "for mere words could not demonstrate her longing for closeness." She is completely subservient to her master, telling her sister, Narcissa Malfoy, that if she had sons, she 'would be glad to give them to the service of the Dark Lord.' As it turns out, Bellatrix gave Voldemort his heir.
As in the books Dumbledore can be relied upon to bestow a few pearls of wisdom, just when our heroes need to hear them. 'To suffer is as human as to breathe,' he tells Harry. It echoes a moment in Order of the Phoenix when Harry is grieving the death of Sirius, and Dumbledore tells him, 'Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is part of being human!' Later in the scene, Dumbledore reminds Harry, 'Those that we love never truly leave us,' exactly what he told him at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban.
And thus concludes our posts on the hidden references found in Cursed Child. When we set out to write this, we had no idea just how much there would actually be when we compiled it all - we left loads out! It is a true testament to the brilliance of the story, the writing and the production and we just can't get enough of it.
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| A world of darkness... Original Melbourne Cast |
Part Two begins as Part One ends, with a scene involving Dolores Umbridge. Although not written in the script (you'll have to take our word for it!) on stage students salute their new headmistress, the same role Umbridge took up in the Order of the Phoenix. She seems to favour Scorpius in some way, praising his potential and abilities, echoing the way she was with Draco, awarding him house points and handpicking him for the Inquisitorial Squad.
Something else which isn't found in the script, is how visibly Hogwarts has changed. In this darker alternative timeline, Voldemort did as he promised when he believed he was the victor at the Battle of Hogwarts. "'There will be no Sorting at Hogwarts school,' said Voldemort. 'There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield and colours of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone.'" And thus, in the beginning of Act Three, Slytherin banners are hanging. They're harsher looking, ever so slightly darker, and the serpent is more rigid and geometric in design.
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| Murky Mr Malfoy Jonno Roberts, Broadway Cast Two |
Scene 3 finds Scorpius in his father's office at the Ministry of Magic. He rages about the horrific treatment the world is receiving under Voldemort and recalls 'three wizards blowing up bridges to see how many Muggles they can kill with one blast!' This is a direct reference to the opening of the Half Blood Prince, in which Fudge and the Muggle PM talk about Death Eaters bringing down the Brockdale Bridge, killing a dozen Muggles in the process. In the original series we got a taste of how awful a world under Voldemort would be, but this is so much worse.
 |
| Malfoy & Son Alex Price and Anthony Boyle |
This reality also sees Scorpius known as the 'Scorpion King'; a dark nickname, similar to how Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort as his power grew. However, we know Voldemort chose a new name for himself as he was ashamed of bearing his father's common name, leading us to question whether the Scorpius we hear about in the dark AU was also ashamed of his father, despite clear references solidifying his evil nature.
With the arrival of Severus Snape also comes a few references to the original books. In Scene 6, he berates Hermione multiple times, telling her 'You know you never could listen. You were a terrible bore of a student...' and 'you were moderate to average'. This forms a direct reference to when he takes five points from Gryffindor purely because he feels Hermione is 'being an insufferable know-it-all.'
Another reference comes from Ron, who welcomes Snape's arrival calling it 'a royal visit...' which is no doubt a nod to him being 'the Half-Blood Prince.'
At one point in the play, Ron says 'So you'll telling me the whole of history rests of Neville Longbottom?!' in complete disbelief. It's reminder that the prophecy (the 'big' one, as Albus puts it) could very easily have meant Neville, if not for Lord Voldemort choosing to mark Harry as his equal. It is Harry who then, in a sense, marks Neville as his equal when he tells him to kill the snake. With Nagini still alive, Voldemort can never die, thus ushering in the dark splinter AU that we see.
 |
| The Dark Mark looming overhead Broadway Cast Two |
'Hermione, you're the most wanted rebel in the wizarding world,' Snape declares, meaning that now the Order of the Phoenix are gone, Dumbledore's Army almost decimated and Harry Potter dead, Hermione Granger has claimed the title of Undesirable No. 1.
After travelling in time, Ron finds himself with an injured leg. He's quickly back on his feet, despite being in a lot of pain. This is the second time Ron has stood on a broken leg to protect his friends from harm, the first being in Prisoner of Azkaban when he is quick to defend Harry when they still believe Sirius to be a villain. 'If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!' he says fiercely, demonstrating true Gryffindor bravery despite his leg sticking out at a strange angle.
 |
| Mr and Mrs Hermione Granger Thomas Aldridge and Rakie Ayola |
As the Dementors descend onto the stage out to get Hermione, she tells Ron that she loves him and she always has. She tells them to go, she'll stall the Dementors and try to buy Scorpius some time. An astounded Ron replies 'Can we talk about the love thing first!' It's a small nod to Deathly Hallows when during the Battle of Hogwarts Ron suggests warning the resident house-elves to get out. Hermione responds by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him, to which Harry replies, 'Is this the moment? ... OI! There's a war going on here!' Now or never, indeed, Ron.
When trying to encourage Scorpius to fight the Dementors, Snape instructs him to 'Think about those you love,' to 'Think about Albus.' This is actually another experience Scorpius shares with Harry when they come into close contact with a Dementor. He too found comfort and strength from his friends. "It was of Ron and Hermione that he thought as he whispered, Expecto Patronum!'" and once again in the final battle, when Luna tells him 'We're all still here ... we're still fighting. Come on now...' The power of friendship spurs Harry on.
Finally, we come to the ever famous Doe, 'Lily's Patronus,' which acts as a guide to both Scorpius, when returning to his own time, and for Harry during his time on the run in Deathly Hallows. The Doe Patronus led Harry to Gryffindor's sword and was eventually used by Neville to slay Nagini.
 |
| An assortment of Hogwarts students London Cast Three |
During another scene, not described in the script, we see other students of Hogwarts spreading the news of Albus and Scorpius's escapades via a series of whispers and notes. This spreading of secrets harks back to the beginning of the series in Philosopher's Stone in which Dumbledore quotes that 'What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so naturally the whole school knows.'
In a scene in the Slytherin dormitory, Scorpius is in a very chipper mood despite being in lockdown and in constant detention. 'What's the worst they could do? Bring back Mouldy Voldy and have him torture me?' he jokes. In the penultimate chapter of Deathly Hallows, after the battle was been won, Peeves the poltergeist zooms about the castle corridors singing 'We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter's the one, And Voldy's gone mouldy, so now let's have fun!' Again, this is quite a niche reference to the original series.
In one of Harry's prophetic nightmares, we hear Voldemort hiss 'I smell guilt, there is a stench of guilt upon the air.' These are the exact words Voldemort spoke to his Death Eaters upon his resurrection in Goblet of Fire, shortly after Cedric Diggory had been killed.
 |
| 'So I think a simple Confringo...' Nicholas Podany and Bubba Weiler, Broadway Cast Two |
When Albus and Scorpius are up in the Owlery debating how they can destroy the Time-Turner, Scorpius suggests using Stupefy. 'They were originally destroyed using Stupefy,' he correctly states. In fact it was actually Neville Longbottom who destroyed them. "The jet of red light flew right over the Death Eater's shoulder and hit a glass-fronted cabinet on the wall full of variously shaped hourglasses. The cabinet fell to the floor and burst apart, glass flying everywhere, then sprang back up on the wall, fully mended, then fell down again, and shattered -"
We discover at the end of Act Three that Delphi, who has been masquerading as the niece of Amos Diggory, is actually the daughter of Lord Voldemort. We later discover that Delphi's mother is none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, Voldemort's right-hand woman, his 'female Death Eater par excellence,' as JK Rowling once put it. Voldemort was her 'idol, her obsession,' and in the first chapter of Deathly Hallows, she leans across the table towards him, "for mere words could not demonstrate her longing for closeness." She is completely subservient to her master, telling her sister, Narcissa Malfoy, that if she had sons, she 'would be glad to give them to the service of the Dark Lord.' As it turns out, Bellatrix gave Voldemort his heir.
 |
| 'To suffer is as human as to breathe.' Barry McCarthy and Jamie Parker, Original London Cast |
As in the books Dumbledore can be relied upon to bestow a few pearls of wisdom, just when our heroes need to hear them. 'To suffer is as human as to breathe,' he tells Harry. It echoes a moment in Order of the Phoenix when Harry is grieving the death of Sirius, and Dumbledore tells him, 'Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is part of being human!' Later in the scene, Dumbledore reminds Harry, 'Those that we love never truly leave us,' exactly what he told him at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban.
And thus concludes our posts on the hidden references found in Cursed Child. When we set out to write this, we had no idea just how much there would actually be when we compiled it all - we left loads out! It is a true testament to the brilliance of the story, the writing and the production and we just can't get enough of it.
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