If you sped through Harry Potter and the Cursed Child right after midnight, you may have a few questions, including: who is The Augurey? This is a good question — and one that may have been missed upon a first reading.
Spoilers ahead!
To recap: Cursed Child centers upon Albus Potter — the son of Harry and Ginny — and Scorpius Malfoy — the son of Draco Malfoy. I won't go into details, but the two friends decide to use a stolen Time-Turner to go back in time and prevent Cedric Diggory from being murdered by Voldemort in the Triwizard Tournament. Cedric Diggory's cousin, Delphi, has agreed to help them — but as it turns out, she has far more sinister plans for the Time-Turner.
In fact, she's not Cedric's cousin at all. She's actually the daughter of Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange. So, what does Delphi have to do with the Augurey? Let me explain.
In Part Two, Act Three, Scene One, we first hear of the mysterious Augurey. Needless to say, messing with time is not easy, and Albus and Scorpius have messed it up more than once by this point. Scorpius has just emerged in a reality where Harry Potter is dead, Albus has never been born, Voldemort lived, and Dolores Umbridge is Headmaster of Hogwarts. It's in this horrifying reality that he first hears rumblings of The Augurey. Though this person is never identified and their position is never made clear, it's obvious that it's a title that holds significant power. And because this reality is one under the control of Voldemort, we can assume the Augurey is equally evil.
Scorpius — with a little help from some fan-favorite characters — is able to escape this reality and set things right. But he comes to the conclusion that Cedric Diggory must die in order to keep the world the same. Thus, he and Albus decide to destroy the Time-Turner, once and for all. However, Albus sends Delphi an owl, telling her of their plans. She arrives, and unknowingly reveals herself to be someone other than Cedric doting cousin.
In this bit of dialogue from Part Two, Act Three, Scene Sixteen, we learn that Delphi has a prominent Augurey tattoo:
Delphi's cloack has loosened. An Augurey tattoo is visible on the back of her neck.
Albus: On your back. I hadn't noticed it before. The wings. Is that what the Muggles call a tattoo?
Delphi: Oh. Yes. Well, it's an Augurey.Scorpius: An Augurey?
Delphi: Haven't you met them in Care of Magical Creatures? They're sinister-looking black birds that cry when the rain's coming. Wizards used to believe that the Augurey's cry foretold death. When I was growing up my guardian kept on in a cage.
Afterwards, Delphi admits that her guardians — prominent Death Eaters — weren't exactly loving, and Albus asks her why'd she get a tattoo that reminds her of them. She responds: "It reminds me that the future is mine to make."
While that line probably works on Albus, it definitely doesn't work on Scorpius, who quickly realizes she's working for Voldemort. It soon becomes clear that Delphi — the Augurey — wants to go back in time to ensure her father remains alive and in power.
Her plan doesn't work, fortunately, and she seems pretty evil. But we acknowledge she has a pretty cool nickname, and we hope it serves her well in Azkaban.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One & Two (Special Rehearsal Edition Script), $18, Amazon
Images: Photographer Manuel Harlan/Courtesy of Harry Potter the Play
