RETROSPECTION

Three lessons The

Cursed Child taught me

“When you read a book as a child, it becomes part of your identity...in a way that no other reading in your life does.” - You’ve Got Mail

A 90s kid would know the magic that gripped the minds in the later years of the decade, a book - the first of its series - that opened a new world of learning, of mysterious charms, of strange creatures, of love, of friendship, of respect, of duty to them. Yes, if you are a 90s kid, you remember well the (then new) wonder of world that was Harry Potter.  The eighth book, which hit the shops on July 31 this year, offers a similar rollercoaster ride of adrenaline-rushing adventure, packed both with interesting lessons and blood-curdling truths. Here’s what I want to elaborate upon lest you missed them.

Every child has unique needs

Not every child wants a parent saying, “Jaa Simran jaa, jee le apni zindagi!” Often, it’s just their presence that he/she craves for. Harry and Ginny had it easy with James because of his confident. outgoing and mischievous nature. But, in a dupe of plot, while Albus was shown confiding to his father about his fear of being sorted into Slytherin House, they are not really the best of buddies. As we learn over the next few pages, the problem lies in Harry’s lack of understanding his child’s needs as much as he loves him.

Hogwarts isn’t the same place for Albus as it was for Harry. The child struggles in matters where his father excelled. His feelings of being left out and not living up to the family name were all too familiar. Harry, thinking a signed form to Hogsmeade would, for instance, help the poor kid, was simply not putting himself in his shoes and rather viewing situations as would (or had) affect(ed) him. He is shown to be so engrossed in his famous-Potter, Head of Magical Law Enforcement skin, he does not stop to consider Albus is not so keen to be a star kid.

It’s okay to err

You could be a hot-headed teenager or you could be a mature adult - age does not guarantee a perfect life. Making mistakes is part and parcel when you are treading new waters. Making friends, falling in love, from Harry and Hermione at work to Albus and Scorpious in their attempt to prove themselves to everyone else to Draco being cordial but still suspicious, erring in one’s judgment is all right as long as you remember (and are brave enough) to set things right when it’s time, to say sorry, to admit being blinded by love. After all, by Rowling, ‘what matters is the part we choose to act on.’

Everything is pre-determined. Prophesised or not, to suffer is human; one’s job is to look past one’s nose and work for the greater good. One wrong step could mean game over; like Albus and Scorpious found, at great cost, a change of events in past meant a whole new future for the whole wizarding world - not just for them or their families. Sometimes, it’s better to reflect on your position and the options available.

Friends are for life

It’s strange how we gravitate towards the wrong sort of people. But once in a while, we tend to meet someone whose frequency resonates with ours. That saying about your friends determine who you become is gold. The bond of friendship is stronger than the rest; it motivates and inspires you and you can count on it, too!

The last book reasserts this notion in minds of its readers: those we love never leave us. True friends support each other no matter what; they open your eyes to other truths and go forward whenever you choose to, say, sulk or drown yourself in self-pity. The trio was lucky - with each other, Hagrid and with Dumbledore’s Army - Malfoy, not so much - as Snape and Tom Riddle before him.