Maybe we are missing something

[Julia]

**SPOILERS!!**
Although I am incredibly disappointed by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (although I had low hopes to begin with), I wonder if we are in fact missing the bigger picture, essentially the meaning behind the name. Each of the books follow a pattern for their names: Harry Potter and the (insert major plot element here). And like any of the books, the name is the first definite piece of information we were given about this work.
When it was later revealed that the main character was Albus Severus, the connection was assumed (I'm not sure if it was ever stated directly, though) that he is the cursed child, because he is struggling with his family name and the standards involved with living up to it.
As I read the book, I found that none of the plot made sense with the series. Most of the characters were dull or annoying, Scorpius exempted. I didn't understand why Albus did not end up in Gryffindor. (Plot-wise, it needed conflict. Otherwise, it was a lazy plot device!) Harry got Gryffindor by choosing it, and since we cannot see into Albus' head, we do not know if he decided to let the Hat make the choice, or if the Hat merely disagreed with Albus and put him in Slytherin, much like it did when it put Neville in Gryffindor despite his pleas for Hufflepuff.
But I don't believe either of these options make sense. Albus was terrified of ending up in Slytherin, and although Harry told him that it wouldn't matter which house he got, I interpreted it as yes, Albus will get Gryffindor because that is his choice and choices are the ultimate driving force of all characters. I don't believe that a six hour ride to Hogwarts would make Albus change his mind about wanting to ask for Gryffindor. If he simply did not make a choice, then he is a lazily written character that is not even worth discussing as a protagonist.
While the Hat may disagree with a person's house choice, I believe it looks at the greater good. Neville would have felt safe in Hufflepuff, but without the pressure of being courageous that is put on those in Gryffindor, I don't think he would have developed that bravery. By placing him in Gryffindor, Neville had something to live up to and prove, especially to himself. Ultimately, Neville's house placement nurtured his character development, essentially bringing him to destroy Voldemort's final Horcrux.
On the other hand, Albus got Slytherin. As a result, his father despises him. He changes the past and, in one possible future, has caused a chain of events that kill Harry. His house placement moulded him into a horrible person, which seems unlikely for not only a descendant of Harry Potter, but for a Weasley child as well.
So my only way to make any sense of this mess is to look at it in as any approaches as possible, which brings me back to the title. I am making the assumption that Albus Potter is the cursed child, and I am taking it as literally as possible. Up to this point, we have considered Albus to be "cursed" because of his life struggles. Similarly, the term would be used to describe any person or character dealing with extreme conflict. BUT this is the Harry Potter universe, in which a curse is a specific type of magic. It is the strongest type of dark magic and includes the killing curse and torture curse. Is the ultimate logic not then that Albus in fact is under a curse of sorts?
Perhaps there was no caster. Like love, it could be caused by something more powerful than a spell yet it still is magical. And looking back at what little canon information about Albus we were given in the Deathly Hallows, I have to wonder if it comes back to a simple detail: Lily's eyes.
Albus is described as being the only of Harry's child to have inherited green, almond-shaped eyes. It seems like this may in fact be a beautiful, tragic curse.
Lily Sr. was the origin of these eyes. Her family was targeted when her child was a baby. She was betrayed by a family friend, lost her husband, almost lost her son moments later, and met her own death at the age of twenty-one.
Harry is the first to inherit her eyes. The Chosen One, he is tortured by his aunt and uncle, faces Voldemort multiple times, is seen as Public Enemy Number One, watches many of his loved ones die, and constantly faces internal conflict. Harry is another person who seems to be "cursed."
By extrapolation, I propose that Albus was in fact cursed. Something stronger than magic, much like love but in the darkest form, placed a curse over Albus. He was cursed to not be able to choose Gryffindor, and having inherited some of his father's traits, the curse extended to the point where the Hat had a blocked perspective of Albus. It masked the Gryffindor traits and exemplified the ambition and other Slytherin qualities, therefore placing him in the latter house.
And that was all that the curse needed to do. By putting Albus in Slytherin, he clashed with his entire family. He almost brought back Voldemort. The Wizarding World shifted to the favour of the Dark Side because of a "cursed" character.
It seems like it is staring us in the face; if it had been called, "The Transfigured Child," (although this may suggest the wrong idea) or "The Charmed Child," or even "The Hexed Child" or "The Jinxed Child" (all other types of spells), we would have immediately recognized it as a spell. But "cursed" is an ambiguous term, which is why we are able to have this discussion.
Harry Potter is ABOUT MAGIC. It is not about demigods, or dystopic futures, or science fiction. If it was science fiction, it might be called Harry Potter and the Time Machine. Because of the genre, we would conclude that it is about a literal time machine, not a metaphor for the way that puberty is like a time machine, bringing us to the future in a sneaky coming-of-age novel. Sometimes things just are what they are, and I believe strongly that a curse placed on all those with green, almond-shaped eyes is the catalyst that drives the plot. Albus was literally CURSED, and that is why he behaved the way he did and ended up in Slytherin.
All-in-all, I hate that I feel like I need to discuss this book. I don't like it and wish it didn't exist. But because it has left me feeling so incomplete, I just need to figure out if there is any reason or sense behind it, or else I will lull in this misery forever!

[Julia]

I wish this theory could have been proven correct!