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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child rightfully gets a lot of criticism for its plot points, but the sequel gives fans one story they deserved from the original series. Cursed Child picks up 19 years after Deathly Hallows' ending, and it sees Harry and his friends sending their own children to Hogwarts. The play deals primarily with Harry's relationship with his son, Albus. However, it features numerous characters from the original Harry Potter books as well. Most of them work together to prevent Voldemort's daughter from changing the past and reviving his reign in the present.
Among the characters to team up with Harry and his friends is Draco Malfoy, as his son is best friends with Harry's. The Draco we see in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a far cry from the boy who bullies Harry throughout their time at Hogwarts. Draco changes for the better in adulthood, becoming more cooperative and willing to put aside his differences with his prior enemies. This is probably to be expected, as Draco is never wholly bad in the original series. However, it's a shame that Cursed Child gives us the story Deathly Hallows should have.
Harry Potter & The Cursed Child Gave Us The Draco Story The Original Series Should Have
Deathly Hallows Doesn't Do Harry's Nemesis Justice
On the heels of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it feels like the original series is building up to a Draco redemption arc in Deathly Hallows. However, the final installment of the Harry Potter series fails to deliver on this promise. Draco's character is slightly more sympathetic in the last few books and films, as he realizes his mistake in becoming a Death Eater. However, The Cursed Child highlights the changes Draco undergoes after the Battle of Hogwarts — and arguably, those should have started during Harry Potter's finale.
The Cursed Child makes a point of showing Draco's redeeming qualities, and it even sees him working alongside the Golden Trio to get their kids back.
The Cursed Child makes a point of showing Draco's redeeming qualities, and it even sees him working alongside the Golden Trio to get their kids back. This sort of team-up never happens in the original Harry Potter series, and it's one of the few highlights of The Cursed Child. Such a storyline would have added depth to Draco's character in the original series, and it would have fit with his other actions throughout Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows. Sadly, the latter fails to redeem him, forcing the sequel play to do so instead.
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Fails To Redeem Draco Properly
The Final Installment Never Goes All The Way
There are a few moments that prove Draco is capable of redemption throughout Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows, but the final Harry Potter installment never fully commits to his redemption. He's reluctant to out the Golden Trio when they're dragged to Malfoy Manor, and his inability to kill Dumbledore proves he isn't a total monster. Draco also ends the series on decent terms with Harry and his friends, as they save his life in the Room of Requirement and nod to one another during the epilogue scene.
All this doesn't equate to a proper redemption arc for Draco though, which would ideally see him taking an actual stand against Voldemort — even if it means working with his former enemies.
All this doesn't equate to a proper redemption arc for Draco though, which would ideally see him taking an actual stand against Voldemort — even if it means working with his former enemies. Such an outcome would make sense of Draco's smaller moments of humanity, and they'd help his character arc feel complete. As it stands, Deathly Hallows' ending for the character is lacking. And The Cursed Child delivers the very twist that would have improved Draco's arc massively in the last book.
Draco's Redemption In The Cursed Child Feels Like Too Little, Too Late
Plenty Of Harry Potter Fans Will Never Even Experience It
While it's nice to see that Draco gets his life together years after Deathly Hallows, his redemption in The Cursed Child feels like too little, too late. With Draco being humbled in Deathly Hallows and entering into adulthood, it's almost a given that he'll become a slightly better person in the future. There would have been more power in giving him a proper redemption arc in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, however, as he'd seen enough in the last two books to justify a more direct turnaround.
The Cursed Child is also unlikely to get a movie adaptation in the near future, and many fans of the Harry Potter franchise haven't read or seen the stage play. This means plenty of people aren't aware of Draco's redemption arc, leaving him a cowardly character in their eyes. The only way to universally redeem the character was to do so during the original Harry Potter series, but this never happens. Perhaps HBO's upcoming TV remake can work this storyline into the main story, fixing one of the books' and movies' biggest letdowns.
Harry Potter
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Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students' time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
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