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Stray thoughts: when did characters first start seeing Thestrals? 

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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and the Order of the Phoenix

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>‘It’s all right,’ said a dreamy voice from beside Harry as Ron vanished into the coach’s dark interior. ‘You’re not going mad or anything. I can see them, too.’  
>
>‘Can you?’ said Harry desperately, turning to Luna. He could see the bat-winged horses reflected in her wide silvery eyes.  
>
>‘Oh, yes,’ said Luna, ‘I’ve been able to see them ever since my first day here. They’ve always pulled the carriages. Don’t worry. You’re just as sane as I am.’  
>*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*

### A note on Thestrals 

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Before we share our Thestral investigations, it’s important to remember that the ability to see the carnivorous horses has two requirements.  

The first requirement is easiest to remember: ‘that the beholder has witnessed death’. But the second, more complex, requirement is that in order to see a Thestral, the beholder must have ‘gained an emotional understanding of what death means’.  

So, witnessing death alone isn’t enough – it must be coupled with a deeper understanding. 

You’ll notice we haven’t included characters we know could see Thestrals and why. Harry, Luna, and Neville, for example. But this stray thought isn’t concerned with them – this time we’re investigating some characters that we don’t know about for sure. 

Get ready, as Dumbledore would put it, to enter the realms of guesswork and speculation…  

### Albus Dumbledore
 

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Dumbledore lived a very long life, but sadly he wasn’t very old when he became acquainted with death. On finishing Hogwarts, Dumbledore and his friend, Elphias Doge, were planning on travelling around the world. But on the eve of their departure Dumbledore’s mother, Kendra, died. But could Dumbledore see Thestrals after this? The problem is we’re not convinced that Dumbledore was actually home when his mother died – in *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows* he told Harry ‘I returned to my village in anger and bitterness’. A return to Godric’s Hollow really does sound like he wasn’t there when Kendra died. Unfortunately, tragedy struck the Dumbledore family again not long after Kendra’s death. Dumbledore’s sister, Ariana, was killed during a fight between Aberforth, Dumbledore, and Dumbledore’s ambitious new friend, Grindelwald. Dumbledore spent the rest of his life haunted by the guilt he felt about Ariana’s death, so we think he probably gained a true emotional understanding of death’s meaning from that early age. In addition, Hagrid told his Care of Magical Creatures class that when Dumbledore was taking a long journey and didn’t want to Apparate he would ride a Thestral. An odd choice if he couldn’t see them.  

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### Rubeus Hagrid 

It would have been a little strange if Hagrid hadn’t been able to see the Thestral herd that he looked after in the Forbidden Forest. But stranger things have happened in the wizarding world, so just like Harry, Ron and Hermione would, we investigated. It appeared that during his Care of Magical Creatures lesson on Thestrals, Hagrid was able to see the creatures coming, as well as touch them – even to the extent that he reached out to pat his favourite, Tenebrus. But when did Hagrid start seeing Thestrals?  

We know that Hagrid’s father died when he was young: 

>‘Dad raised me ... but he died, o’ course, jus’ after I started school. Sorta had ter make me own way after that.’ 
>*Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*

But if he was away at school, it’s possible Hagrid wasn’t there when his dad died. 

We also know that Hagrid fetched baby Harry from the remains of the Potter house at the end of the First Wizarding War. Perhaps he witnessed death on other errands for Dumbledore during that dark time and that’s why Thestrals were visible to him? 

### Minerva McGonagall 

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We set ourselves a challenge in Minerva McGonagall. Like Albus Dumbledore, she was an intensely private individual – perhaps owing to her childhood in an all-Muggle village where she was encouraged by her witch mother to hide her magic. Unlike Dumbledore however, there was no *The Life and Lies of Minerva McGonagall* to point us in the right (or wrong) direction. What we did find out however was that tragedy struck Minerva after she started teaching at Hogwarts and might have meant she could see Thestrals from then on.  

After turning down his proposals of marriage multiple times, Minerva finally married her old Ministry boss, Elphinstone Urquart. According to J.K. Rowling, their marriage ‘was a very happy one’ and ‘period of great fulfilment for Minerva’. Very sadly, he died from an accidental Venomous Tentacula bite, three years into the marriage. We don’t know whether Minerva was actually present when this happened, but she was so devastated that she couldn’t bear to be alone in their cottage and fled to the Hogwarts castle and threw herself into her work. We might not know for sure whether she could see Thestrals, but knowing all this, we love her even more. 

 

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### Severus Snape 

There isn’t much doubt in our minds that Severus Snape could see Thestrals. Most memorably, on one terrible night, he killed Albus Dumbledore. But that was late on in Snape’s slippery career working as a double agent for both Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort. One interesting observation is that when Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him – instead of Draco Malfoy doing it – Snape protested: 

>‘That boy’s soul is not yet so damaged,’ said Dumbledore. ‘I would not have it ripped apart on my account.’  
>
>‘And my soul, Dumbledore? Mine?’  
>*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*

This might indicate that Snape hadn’t murdered anyone before Dumbledore, but it still doesn’t give us any clues about whether he’d previously seen death. It is likely that Severus Snape at least witnessed murders, given how many were carried out by Lord Voldemort both times he came to power. But did he have an emotional understanding of what death really meant whilst hovering in Voldemort’s shadow? We would guess that if he didn’t, when Lord Voldemort made Lily Evans his victim, those Thestrals would have come into sharp focus for Snape. 

### Lord Voldemort

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Many would say that there’s an easy answer when it comes to Lord Voldemort: he must have started to see Thestrals during his time at Hogwarts because he killed his father and grandparents – and framed his uncle Morfin for it – whilst still a student. Not to mention he was present when the Basilisk, the creature he controlled, killed Myrtle in the girl’s bathroom which housed the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. And if that wasn’t enough – he embarked on making Horcruxes, which require murder to be created. 

Lord Voldemort almost certainly satisfied the first requirement: he wasn’t just seeing death; he was bringing it about. But the question we have is, does he ever gain an emotional understanding of what death means? Can someone so quick to end a life, whether by his own hand or on his orders, really understand what death truly means? Can someone who doesn’t love, really understand the significance of death? 

‘Kill the spare’ Voldemort said of Cedric Diggory in Little Hangleton graveyard – but Cedric was loved, and missed, and mourned – all part of death. From what we know of the Dark Lord, it appears none of that would have crossed his mind? 

On the other side of the Knut, Lord Voldemort created the Horcruxes in order to achieve his goal ‘to conquer death’. He feared death. He snarled mid-duel in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: ‘There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!’  

Perhaps that meant he understood its significance too well? Death means lay down your weapons, it means your reign is over, the end of your power. And death came for Lord Voldemort at the last, no matter how hard he tried to outrun it.  
<br>
Despite Thestrals themselves being harmless, this stray thought led us to some of the darkest moments across the Harry Potter series and reminded us of the people some of our favourite characters loved and lost. If you’re feeling down after all this talk of Thestrals, we’d like to remind you of a piece of wisdom Dumbledore shared with Harry in his very first year at Hogwarts: ‘to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection for ever’.  

Sirius Black and Harry Potter: two peas in a (Snargaluff) pod

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Harry and Sirius by the Black family tapestry at number twelve, Grimmauld Place

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## Childhoods more unstable than a cursed broom

Unlike James Potter, neither Sirius nor Harry were raised by loving parents. Harry was brought up – very begrudgingly – by his aunt and uncle and suffered years of neglect and bullying before finally escaping to Hogwarts. Sirius was brought up by his own parents, but never fitted in with the Black family stereotype – he was sorted into Gryffindor, which didn’t get him many Black family brownie points, and refused to accept their ‘pure-blood mania’. 

Although Harry was an only child like his father, he didn’t really grow up as one. More in common with Sirius, Harry was constantly reminded of how he didn’t measure up to Dudley, just as Sirius was told that his brother, Regulus, was a much better son. Sirius and Harry’s home lives were so unhappy at points that they both ran away from home. Harry ran away after he blew up his Aunt Marge and Sirius left home for good at sixteen. And where did he go? The Potters’.


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## The Marauders' legacy

James Potter and Sirius Black weren’t exactly model students at Hogwarts.  For starters, they created a map that was effectively a tool to help them make mischief without getting caught. Arguably Sirius was the biggest rebel of them all – he owned a flying motorbike for goodness sake! When Harry was given the Marauder’s Map by Fred and George in his third year, he was already breaking rules left, right and centre, thanks to his very own rule-breaking tool – his father’s Invisibility Cloak. 

Sirius was delighted to find a fellow rebel in Harry, and Sirius lived vicariously through Harry’s exploits at Hogwarts. Padfoot thoroughly approved of the underground Defence against the Dark Arts group – Dumbledore’s Army – delighted that Harry was taking a stand against Umbridge. We’ll never know whether James Potter would have encouraged the same kind of rule breaking in his son, but Sirius and Harry definitely shared a certain disregard for toeing the line.



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Harry looking at the Marauders Map in his dormitory

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## Fiery tempers worthy of a Hungarian Horntail

The very first time we met Sirius Black he was in a murderous rage, determined to kill Peter Pettigrew – disguised as Ron’s rat – who had betrayed Lily and James Potter. But this wasn’t the only time we saw Sirius lose his temper. Snape, Kreacher and even Mrs Weasley all felt the heat of his temper. And Harry isn’t exactly cool-headed either. Remember that time when he shouted – in glorious capital letters – at Ron and Hermione for keeping him in the dark all summer when they’d been hanging out with the Order? And he just couldn’t keep his anger for Umbridge under control at all – even after Professor McGonagall warned him of the danger.

We don’t know much about James Potter’s temper, but we do know that he was the Marauder who rescued Snape from a potential run-in with Lupin in werewolf form, even though the two hated each other. Perhaps he had a more rational head on his shoulders than Sirius or Harry? 



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Sirius Black pointing his finger in the Shrieking Shack

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## Fame’s a fickle friend to both of them 

James Potter was popular at Hogwarts – a great Quidditch player and head boy – but he wasn’t more widely known until after his devastating death at the hands of Lord Voldemort. His son though, experienced fame throughout Hogwarts and beyond, and his best friend Sirius Black’s name was familiar to witches and wizards everywhere – he even made it onto Muggle TV. Harry and Sirius both suffered for their fame at one time or another. 

For most of *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, Harry was accused of lying about Voldemort’s return in the Daily Prophet, and later he was targeted as Undesirable Number One by the Ministry of Magic. Like Sirius, Harry had to go into hiding when a price was put on his head by the Ministry in *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*. As a result, Harry and Sirius most likely learned to distrust the authority of the Ministry in a way that James never did.  


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Sirius trapped in the Top Tower from the Prisoner of Azakban 

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## Transfiguring friends into family

Perhaps as a result of their unhappy upbringings, both Sirius and Harry’s friendships run deeper than your average playground pals. Arguably, James and Sirius acted like brothers, as well as best friends, emphasised particularly by the fact that Sirius actually moved in with the Potters when he ran away from the Black family home. Sirius was also best man at James and Lily’s wedding, a place often taken up by the groom’s brother.

Harry is similar in this way, and through his friendship with Ron, was adopted into the Weasley family to such an extent that Ron’s mother sent him Christmas presents and thought of him like a son. Sirius and Harry’s relationship is an interesting mix of friends and family too: Sirius is Harry’s godfather and sometimes treats him like a son, but at other times he seems to forget Harry isn’t his best friend, James Potter. ‘You’re less like your father than I thought’ Sirius told Harry when he refused to risk Sirius’ safety and meet his godfather in Hogsmeade. A harsh put-down that muddies the family-friend boundary between them. 



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## Brave Gryffindors to the last 

Along with James, Harry and Sirius showed unimaginable courage in the face of evil. Sirius, still a wanted man, didn’t hesitate to leave Grimmauld Place and go after Harry at the Ministry of Magic. Sirius was also determined to give Harry help and advice via owl and in the Gryffindor fireplace throughout his time at Hogwarts, risking being thrown back into Azkaban if caught. 

Harry stood up to bullies, fought dragons, and faced Lord Voldemort whilst still trying to attend classes at Hogwarts. And in the end, just like James and Sirius, Harry was willing to give up his life to protect the people – and wizarding world – that he loved.


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Harry and Sirius standing in the Department of Mysteries 

The Molly Weasley Quiz

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Revolting reads: the most nauseating moments from the Harry Potter series

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*In honour of Hallowe’en treats, the Scourgify Scale has three levels based on the Skiving Snackboxes created by the masters of mayhem, Fred and George Weasley:*
- Fainting Fancy *for the lowest level of yuck*
- Nosebleed Nougat *for Flesh-Eating Slug levels of repellent*
- Puking Pastille *for the pass me the slug-bucket moments.*



### Slug vomit

*Scourgify Scale – Puking Pastille*

>'The Gryffindors were gathered around Ron, who kept belching large, glistening slugs. Nobody seemed to want to touch him.’
><br>*Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*  

And who’d blame them? Nothing says Hallowe’en horror more than slug slime mixed with Ron Weasley’s vomit, right? Poor Ron was only trying to curse Draco Malfoy for calling Hermione a Mudblood. If only the spell hadn’t backfired... we would have enjoyed Malfoy vomiting slugs over the cups in the trophy room far more than watching Ron suffer. 

### Bubotuber pus 

*Scourgify Scale – Nosebleed Nougat*

On to greenhouse three with Professor Sprout and ‘the ugliest plants Harry had ever seen’. Although apparently Bubotubers look ‘less like plants than thick black giant slugs protruding vertically out of the soil’ – delightful. But in our assessment of all things vomit-worthy, we’re more interested in the Bubotuber pus that the plants themselves. Not unlike the pimples that the plant goo is a remedy for, Harry and his classmates had to squeeze a ‘thick yellowish green liquid’ from the slug-like swellings on the plant and collect it in bottles. It might have been higher on our Scourgify Scale if squeezing the plants didn’t sound quite so satisfying.
<br>

### Harry’s boneless arm

*Scourgify Scale – Fainting Fancy* 

Do you remember when all Harry had to worry about was his teacher removing the bones in his arm? Those were the days, eh? It makes our own arms feel tingly just thinking about how Harry's was described as a ‘thick, flesh-coloured rubber glove’. Apart from a boneless arm sounding more like a  grotesque Hallowe’en costume idea than a Quidditch injury, Madam Pomfrey also had to give Harry Skele-Gro to regrow the bones. And we don’t think it tasted like pumpkin juice.
<br>

### Stinksap

*Scourgify Scale – Nosebleed Nougat*

Neville’s Mimbulus mimbletonia caused an almighty scene on the Hogwarts Express. The little grey cactus might have looked fairly harmless – even though it was covered in boils –but it seriously damaged Harry’s chances with Cho Chang when Neville activated its defence mechanism. 

>‘Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant; thick, stinking, dark green jets of it.’ 
><br>*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*

Harry received a faceful of the disgusting Stinksap – it even got in his mouth –just as the Ravenclaw heart-throb opened the door of the carriage compartment to say hello. Don’t worry, Harry, it could have been worse. Wait... could it?

### Deathday Party food

*Scourgify Scale – Fainting Fancy*

When we say party food, perhaps your mind fills with images of cocktail sausages on sticks, party rings, homemade chocolate bunsand a beautifully iced birthday cake? Hold your Hippogriffs: there ain’t no party like a Deathday Party. The food at Sir Nicholas de Mimsy - Porpington’s 500th death anniversary most definitely makes it onto this nauseating list. Delights included cakes burned charcoal black, a great maggoty haggis, mouldy cheese and a grey cake shaped like a tombstone. Not much of a spread, but then Nearly Headless Nick did have his head – almost – chopped off on Hallowe’en.
<br>

### Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans

*Scourgify Scale – Nosebleed Nougat*

When it comes to Wizarding World confectionary, there are quite a few unpleasant choices. Blood-flavoured lollipops meant for vampires, Cockroach Clusters and Puking Pastilles. So why choose Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans? Let’s just think about them for a second. Every flavour. That’s *every* flavour. There’s no way raspberry or lemon would make it onto this unpleasant list, but just think about the flavours Dumbledore shared with us: a vomit-flavoured bean in his youth; earwax in Harry’s first year. What other flavours could be out there? We shudder to think. Like Dumbledore, we think we’ve lost our liking for them, too.
<br>

### Troll bogeys

*Scourgify Scale – Puking Pastille*

A twelve-foot mountain troll could probably make it onto this list without the bogeys. But we are all about the revolting this Hallowe’en, and how do you make an encounter with a stinking, club-wielding giant worse? You shove a brown stick up its nostrils and then get covered in lumpy, grey troll bogeys, of course! At least Harry had the sense to wipe his wand on the troll’s own trousers rather than his robes – although not quite enough sense not to hang from the troll’s neck in the first place. 
<br>

### Polyjuice Potion

*Scourgify Scale – Nosebleed Nougat* 

We’re not saying Polyjuice Potion isn’t useful – it helped Harry, Ron and Hermione on their way to solving many a mystery. But despite its ability to change you into someone else for a while, drinking the potion itself sounds less tempting than swigging Skele-Gro. The basic ingredients alone make us want to retch: Lacewing flies, leeches, Boomslang skin, powdered horn of a Bicorn just to name a few. Who’d want to swallow any of those ingredients on their own? Let alone after they’ve all been mixed together in a cauldron and left to stew for a month. But that isn’t the worst part of Polyjuice Potion – it also requires a bit of whoever you want to change into. Hermione settles on hair rather than toenails but still... pretty disgusting all round.
<br>

### Brains from the Department of Mysteries 

*Scourgify Scale – Puking Pastille*

>‘Glimmering eerily, they drifted in and out of sight in the depths of the green liquid, looking something like slimy cauliflowers.’
><br>*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*

Creepy and revolting, just the sight of the green tank displaying lazily drifting brains has to be very high up on our Scourgify scale. Add to this the fact the brains have tentacles (giant squid – you’ve got competition), and when Ron summons one it tries to suffocate him... we think the brains are a nasty Hallowe’en surprise we could definitely live without.

Happy Hurl-owe’en!

news

Introducing Wizarding World Gold

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From eBooks to exclusive series, priority ticketing to collectible pins – here’s a guide to the glittering goodies that come with [your subscription.](http://wizarding.world/AboutGold)

Are there any Nifflers around? Keep your eyes peeled for them, because we’re about to talk about Gold. Launching this autumn, [Wizarding World Gold](http://wizarding.world/AboutGold) is an annual paid subscription that promises to serve up all manner of Wizarding World treats. Currently on offer to UK and US-based fans (with more countries to follow in the coming months), it’s available to pre-order now and will enhance your free membership of the Official Harry Potter Fan Club.

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### A magical welcome gift

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Wizarding World Gold launches today!

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Wizarding World Gold has arrived! Available to order from today for yourself, or as a gift, learn more about some of its offerings in the video below.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">More magic awaits... Wizarding World Gold is here! Explore all our new 12-month subscription service has to offer, including the beautiful one-of-a-kind welcome gift. Learn more: <a href="https://t.co/TlAyrTrb7T">https://t.co/TlAyrTrb7T</a> <a href="https://t.co/kgyEFpIjAV">pic.twitter.com/kgyEFpIjAV</a></p>&mdash; Wizarding World (@wizardingworld) <a href="https://twitter.com/wizardingworld/status/1194256029174730753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


As you can see in the video, by joining Wizarding World Gold you’ll receive a magical welcome gift, a personalised journal made just for you. The Keys and Curios journal is filled with interactive secrets and surprises that come to life with the Wizarding World app.
 
Also in the app…

Gold subscribers can expect to see exclusive content begin to appear, including videos, new articles, quizzes and more. Fans will also have access to all seven Harry Potter books as eBooks.  

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This includes the like of 20% off at the Wizarding World online shop, 10% off at the Platform 9¾ store at King’s Cross, 10% off at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter store and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood store, 10% off at the MinaLima store in London and online and $50 off The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ Exclusive Vacation Package at Universal Orlando Resort.  

There is also selected priority ticketing for our most popular Wizarding World events and locations, including *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child* shows in London, New York and San Francisco, as well as Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. 

From collectible pin badges, available from Wizarding World UK and US locations, to competitions to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences, look forward to more magical surprises to come soon. 

[So, without further ado, learn more about Gold here.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/about-gold?utm_source=Direct)

Cursed Child on Broadway releases new tickets

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Albus and Scorpius Broadway Cursed Child

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Have all your friends seen it? Did your colleague go last week and mention it more often than Malfoy mentions his father? Would you see yourself holding *Cursed Child* tickets in the Mirror of Erised? Perhaps you’ve left it up to Santa, and put them on your Christmas list?

Well, prepare yourselves because we’ve got some very exciting news...

New tickets are now available for *Cursed Child* in New York. So whether you’ve not seen Cursed Child yet or you are - quite understandably – desperate to go again, it’s your lucky day – no Felix Felicis required. 

This astounding production, with so many awards it could rival the trophy room at Hogwarts, isn’t one you’ll want to miss. So don’t hang around like you’ve been on the wrong end of a Levicorpus jinx. 
Tickets available [here](https://harrypotter.ticketmaster.com/both-consecutive/calendar/2019/11?utm_source=wizworld&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=111onsale&utm_content=wweb).

*If the West Coast is more convenient, no Apparition will be necessary. [Tickets are also on sale](https://www.harrypottertheplay.com/san-francisco/tickets/) for Cursed Child in San Francisco!*

Cursed Child: The Journey - Extract Part 5, Writing the story 

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Original London Cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

HPCC Original Cursed Child cast 

Original London Cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 

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To check out the rest of our *Cursed Child: The Journey* extracts, check out our previous themes.

[Part 1: Music](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/cursed-child-the-journey-extract-one-music)<br>
[Part 2: Magic](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/cursed-child-the-journey-extract-two-magic)<br>
[Part 3: Time](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/cursed-child-the-journey-extract-three-time)<br>
[Part 4: Costumes & props](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/cursed-child-the-journey-extract-four-costumes-and-props)<br>


<P>

****



[Sonia] Friedman, [Colin] Callender, [JOHN] Tiffany and [JACK] Thorne had all agreed that the jumping-off point for the play should be the epilogue of Deathly Hallows. “We felt sure that the first scene of the play would be the final scene of the last book,” says John Tiffany.

“That came naturally.” But after making that leap, where would they land? At their next meeting, they looked again at what was happening in that final scene at the train station and who was present. To Jack Thorne, it was notable that Rowling had put Draco Malfoy’s son and Harry Potter’s younger son in the same year at Hogwarts: Clearly they were destined to meet and, like their fathers before them, would have an impact on each other’s lives. “And as soon as those two were together, it put the dual father-son relationships into relief,” says Thorne.

Tiffany and Thorne didn’t want a whole new story about getting to know Harry. “We wanted it to be about where Harry was now, and the scars that accompany him from that time,” says Thorne. “What happens to a kid when they don’t have any parental support, and they’re entrusted with the world? How do you come out of that with any sense of sanity?” They also wanted the plot to tie into something in Harry’s early life. “The story that Jack and I both loved was *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*,” says Tiffany. “For the first time, the world opens. The characters are maturing and the world is expanding.” In wanting the drama to revolve around Harry as a father to Albus, *Goblet of Fire* offered another father-son relationship that would create a contrast. 

Cursed Child: The Journey Notebook 3

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“The scene of Amos Diggory, when he finds out that Cedric’s been killed, when Harry brings his body back, it’s just heart-wrenching,” says Tiffany. “The most unnatural thing in the world is to outlive your kid.” Cedric’s death would have left a deep impression on Harry in numerous ways. “That was the first death Harry was responsible for,” says Thorne. “Well, he wasn’t responsible for anyone’s death, but he took Cedric there. He was responsible in a Harry way.” The playwright also appreciated Goblet’s structure. “There’s three tasks,” he explains. “That’s very useful. Goblet had lots of stuff going for it. So, when we went up to see Jo for the first time, we went armed with that book.”

In April, 2014, Tiffany and Thorne flew up to Edinburgh to see Rowling. Tiffany remembers a moment of trepidation as he introduced Thorne to her. “Suddenly, I thought to myself, ‘What if they don’t get on?’ But within four seconds, I was like, ‘Hello? Hello?’” Rowling has said, “Jack’s just one of my people, I knew instantly. He’s phenomenal, emotionally understanding, and totally unafraid to go into the dark place.” Rowling brought them to her writing room, where their first meeting lasted the entire day. “Jack, John, and I knew what we wanted to do emotionally,” Rowling has said, “and we discussed ideas I already had about what might have happened next.” She explains further: “I was fascinated by Albus as I wrote the Deathly Hallows epilogue, and felt a real pull to go with him to Hogwarts.” 

Tiffany and Thorne shared with Rowling their idea to make connections with both the plot and the emotional fallout of *Goblet of Fire*. “It’s Harry’s first death,” says Thorne, “and dealing with Cedric and what Cedric meant . . . It was a transformative year for Harry. So, what if we put Albus and Scorpius in that year, in their fourth year at Hogwarts?” Rowling has said, “The three of us developed this story together, always, I feel, with our eye on family, loss, what it means to be a father, and what it means to be the child of a very unusual father.” Thorne had questions for Rowling beyond what was in the books in order to be able to shape the story. “I think most of what I found out, and was excited by, I got into the play. Such as, what is Hermione doing now? You sort of knew that Harry was going to become an Auror,” says Thorne. “Where Hermione ended up was really fascinating to me.” 

Cursed Child: The Journey Notebook 4

Cursed Child: The Journey Notebook 2

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Thorne drafted a forty five page treatment, and conversations among the team continued, especially between Thorne and Rowling. “We kept talking, talking, talking,” says Thorne. “It was a mixture of ‘Could we try this?’ and her going, ‘Ooh, that makes me think of this.’ It was a constant deep-core ‘mining.’ The thing is to shake the author for as much information as possible because their knowledge is your secret weapon, and their knowledge isn’t always on paper. “And this is not hyperbole: She is without doubt the most supportive writer I’ve ever worked with,” Thorne states. “Not that she would say yes to everything. It was in the way she would guide and help and be there.” Thorne and Rowling would bounce ideas back and forth on email when he wrestled with something. “She consistently made it easy and not seem like it was the hugest job in the world, which of course it was.” Thorne revised his treatment several times before it went to script, constantly rereading and circling back to Goblet. “Most times during this process, a writer delivers a draft, you give them notes, and you get the next draft,” says Colin Callender. “And it’s one step forward and two steps back. Well, Sonia and John and I would give notes to Jack, and every time the next draft would be an advance—it never went back.

Every draft, the play got better and better.” As the story development progressed, Thorne and Tiffany realized that—much like the epic adventures of the Harry Potter novels—the adventure they were crafting with Rowling for the play went beyond the scope of the typical stage production. “So we went to Sonia and Colin, and they said, ‘Why don’t you do it in two parts?’” Tiffany recalls. “We didn’t think through any of the practical implications at the time, which we have since had to embrace for all its complexity,” says Callender. “But we didn’t even think twice about it.”

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*Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: The Journey, by Jody Revenson, publishes today in both the UK and US.* 

To order from different territories, follow these links: [UK](https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/harry-potter-theatrical-productions/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-the-journey/9780751576108/), [US](https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/book/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-the-journey-by-harry-potter-theatrical-productions/), [Aus](https://www.dymocks.com.au/book/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-the-journey-by-harry-potter-thea-productions-and-jody-revenson-9780751576108?cfclick=7f13bcf15eb243b0877563592683d084), [NZ](https://www.whitcoulls.co.nz/product/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-the-journey-6496752), [India](https://www.amazon.in/Harry-Potter-Cursed-Child-Award-Winning/dp/0751576107/) and [South Africa](https://www.takealot.com/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child/PLID56355835).

The Professor Flitwick Quiz

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Off you go! 

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