As you come down from the literary high of reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , there are likely a thousand questions spilling out of your poor brain. Most pressing among them: how did Delphi fly without a broomstick? (Warning: spoilers ahead!) The reason it's so jarring is that so far in Harry Potter canon, we've seen characters go to great lengths to secure methods of travel. For instance, at the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it takes quite the effort to break into the Ministry — some of the squad is on thestrals and the other part of the squad is on broomsticks. Even when they were rescuing Harry from Privet Drive in The Battle of Seven Potters in the final book, they employed three different methods of flying by magical object. So why didn't they all just learn to fly like Delphi can?
As it turns out, Rowling has already addressed this unique ability. We all remember that visceral "GASP, SHOCK" moment during the Battle of Seven Potters when, in the thick of things up in the sky, Voldemort is just casually flying with nothing but his body. A lot of readers and movie viewers were boggled by this, so Rowling took the time to explain it on Twitter.
She even explained why it was so uncommon in Harry Potter to see other wizards and witches attempting broomless flight.
So in short: Delphi can fly because she is a badass and a half, and maybe doesn't care if she lives a long time. Which would be Gryffindor AF, if she weren't also ridiculously evil.
As for how Delphi learned to fly when she didn't attend Hogwarts and was raised by a family that only wanted her for her gold? That right there is another mystery. The Potter Wikia does confirm, however, that Voldemort was the first to successfully achieve it, and that he managed it by means of a spell — likely a variation of a levitation spell like Wingardium Leviosa. From then he appeared to each several Death Eaters how to do it, including Bellatrix and Snape, although it is unclear how long the spell lasts. In any case, it's clear that Delphi had the aptitude for it in her DNA — and certainly the nerve as well.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One & Two (Special Rehearsal Edition Script), $17.99, Amazon
Images: Courtesy of Harry Potter the Play
