Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Part 1, Act 1, Scene 1 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 2 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 3 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 4 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 5 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 6 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 7 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 8 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 9 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 10 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 11 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 12 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 13 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 14 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 15 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 16 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 17 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 18 Part 1, Act 1, Scene 19 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 1 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 2 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 3 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 4 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 5 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 6 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 7 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 8 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 9 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 10 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 11 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 12 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 13 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 14 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 15 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 16 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 17 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 18 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 19 Part 1, Act 2, Scene 20 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 1 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 2 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 3 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 4 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 5 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 6 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 7 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 8 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 9 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 10 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 11 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 12 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 13 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 14 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 15 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 16 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 17 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 18 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 19 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 20 Part 2, Act 3, Scene 21 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 1 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 2 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 3 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 4 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 5 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 6 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 7 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 8 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 9 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 10 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 11 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 12 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 13 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 14 Part 2, Act 4, Scene 15
Themes
All Themes Parenthood Time, Mistakes, and the Past Friendship, Family, Love, and Bravery Reputation and Expectation Death and Sacrifice
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Albus Severus Potter Harry Potter Scorpius Malfoy Delphi Diggory Draco Malfoy Voldemort Ginny Weasley Hermione Granger Severus Snape Cedric Diggory Albus Dumbledore Ron Weasley Rose Granger-Weasley Amos Diggory Astoria Malfoy James Potter (Harry’s Son) James Potter (Harry’s Father)
Terms
All Terms Death Eater Durmstrang Dementors Parseltongue Squib The Triwizard Tournament
Symbols
All Symbols Time-Turners Harry’s Blanket The Augurey
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

by

J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Part 2, Act 3, Scene 10 Summary & Analysis

Parenthood Theme Icon
Time, Mistakes, and the Past Theme Icon
Friendship, Family, Love, and Bravery Theme Icon
Reputation and Expectation Theme Icon
Death and Sacrifice Theme Icon
Themes Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Parenthood Theme Icon
Parenthood
Time, Mistakes, and the Past Theme Icon
Time, Mistakes, and the Past
Friendship, Family, Love, and Bravery Theme Icon
Friendship, Family, Love, and Bravery
Reputation and Expectation Theme Icon
Reputation and Expectation
Death and Sacrifice Theme Icon
Death and Sacrifice
Summary
Analysis
After hearing the full story, McGonagall is furious at how stupid Scorpius and Albus have been. She tells them that they are in detention for the rest of the year, with no visits to Hogsmeade or breaks. Suddenly Hermione bursts in, and McGonagall tells her that it was also incredibly stupid for her to keep a Time-Turner in a place that the boys could find it.
McGonagall acknowledges here the danger of keeping a Time-Turner, perhaps even being more aware of the consequences than Hermione because of the problems that Time-Turners can create.
Themes
Time, Mistakes, and the Past Theme Icon
McGonagall continues her tirade, saying that after all that Dumbledore did, she couldn’t live with herself if it had all come undone. While Albus and Scorpius’s intentions to save Cedric were honorable, and they acted bravely, they had no idea how dark the world could have become and how much people sacrificed to prevent that from happening. She tells them all to get out and find the Time-Turner.
While McGonagall acknowledges the value in the sacrifice that Albus and Scorpius were trying to make, she also confirms the idea that trying to affect the past (or, in a less hypothetical scenario, thinking about what might have been) is dangerous and unproductive because it could always change for the worse, not for the better.
Themes
Reputation and Expectation Theme Icon
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