The most prominent theme explored in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the impact of fame and legacy upon a parent-child relationship. At the very center of the play is the relationship Albus shares with Harry, and it is friction in this relationship that sets in motion the entire set of events composing the play.

The play opens with a scene from the epilogue of the original series—Harry and Ginny see off Albus as he boards his first Hogwarts Express. Even in this scene, there is a foreshadowing of the conflict brewing between father and son when Albus voices his fears about being sorted into Slytherin House. This fear is realized shortly after, and while Harry himself had initially reassured Albus about this, Albus nevertheless receives negative attention and judgment for it from his peers. There is an almost-immediate strain on Albus and Harry’s relationship, with Albus desiring to stand apart from his father at the platform the following year. Over the years, the distance only increases—where Albus was once able to confide in and feel reassured by his father, he is now bitter and resentful about their relationship, rejecting Harry’s overtures at reconciliation. This indicates that the distance in their relationship goes further back than just Hogwarts and the sorting, and Albus and Harry acknowledge this in a later conversation.