As the years pass, Albus struggles with being unpopular and Scorpius, who suffers from rumours implicating him as the son of Lord Voldemort, is the only person in whom he can confide.
They eventually meet in the library, where Albus calls Scorpius kind to the "depths of [his] belly, to the tips of [his] fingers" and the "best" person he knows.
[3] Later in the play, Scorpius uses the time turner, accidentally altering the timeline such that Lord Voldemort kills Harry, thus causing Albus to cease to exist.
[2] In the two characters' final scene together, Scorpius tells Albus that he will ask Rose out, and that regardless of her response, it will be the "acorn that will grow into our eventual marriage".
He argues that the relationship between Albus and Scorpius is "deeply woven" and "builds upon and seems to correct some of the earlier, prejudicial elements", the latter point in reference to Draco having previously been depicted as a "racist, elitist bully".
[2] Murray argues that the play's "stress on the power of empathy and compassion causes Scorpius to choose his love for Albus over great personal gain."
With regard to Scorpius's response to Albus's hug, Murray argues that it "holds little purpose past evoking awkwardness and discomfort".
She argues that while the final scene "ultimately undermines the tentatively established queerness and resumes a heteronormative stance", the pair's last hug could mean that they have either "decided that physical contact between two men is nothing to be ashamed of (in defiance of homosexual panic)" or that they have "come to terms with their romantic feelings for each other", and that the scene "could be understood as them having accepted either a friendship that allows a certain amount of intimacy, or even a non-platonic sexual interest."
[1] Romano wrote that criticism was directed at the "way the script spends its time building evidence for a canonically queer relationship between the two boys, only to brutally yank it away at the end with a flimsy "No Homo" excuse.
"[3] Jessie Earl of The Advocate wrote that many fans saw a "clear gay subtext" between Albus and Scorpius and that "despite an entire scene devoted to them simply giving longing looks to each other and others of them explicitly reaffirming their love for each other, the play ends with them randomly pursuing straight relationships."
"[12] In defence of what he considered "queer subtext" in the relationship between Albus and Scorpius, Manuel Betancourt of Pacific Standard wrote that in allowing audiences to "revel in ambiguity and in subtextual cues, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child assumes that it has a knowing audience — one that understands that gayness need not only be about legible identities, but about readable behavior; not only about flag waving, but about furtive glances", and that the "investment and celebration of subtext need not be antithetical to a progressive agenda of LGBT representation.
She writes: "The lack of representation of even casual intimacy between men may be one of the reasons fans so desperately wish these male characters into romantic relationships – leading to accusations of queerbaiting when they don't see their fantasy officially told.
[5] In response to Masad, Romano argues that the Harry Potter universe is "already rife with intimate straight male friendships" that do not have homoerotic subtext, unlike the relationship between Albus and Scorpus.
Comparing it to that of other characters in the series, she writes that the relationship is the "textbook example of the kind of romance that gets cultivated at Hogwarts and then evolves into marriage after school.
"[3] With regard to the controversy, Romano opined that the "abundant straightness of the wizarding world is the most damning evidence of the Harry Potter universe's failure to evolve."
She noted that the "anger" in the Harry Potter fandom over the portrayal of the relationship between Albus and Scorpius was then "especially potent" as fans had "already spent years being angry at Rowling for her treatment of other queer characters in her books."
She further wrote that the controversy was representative "larger cultural shift in fandom toward nuanced representation and a desire for diverse characters and worldbuilding."
"[14] Ashley Lee of The Los Angeles Times described the revised scene as a "more explicit acknowledgment of Albus and Scorpius' gay romance".