Harry Potter and the Cursed Child introduces Scorpius Malfoy, played by Anthony Boyle. And he is, without a doubt, the best part of the play.

This article contains NO plot spoilers for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Ahead of the first preview performance of Cursed Child, J.K. Rowling herself told Scorpius Malfoy actor Anthony Boyle that she believed he was about to get a lot of new Twitter followers. I’m here to tell you that she was right.

There’s a lot to love about Cursed Child. From the stunning production design to the performances by the entire cast, it is truly a spectacular experience.

But, in my humble opinion, nothing is more spectacular than Scorpius Malfoy.

At the risk of being you-know-what, I am hesitant to say anything at all about why Scorpius as a character is so noteworthy, except to simply state it as a fact: Scorpius Malfoy is, far and away, the best character in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

What I will elaborate on is the talent of the young man who brought him to life.

Before seeing the play, I had no expectations for Scorpius Malfoy. After all, we didn’t even know he was going to be a major character until last week when the promotional portraits popped up.

And even then, I wasn’t that impressed. Standing there with his father’s hand on his shoulder Scorpius looked sad, terrified, and pitiful. Meanwhile Albus Potter looked instantly lovable, and I was convinced Rose Granger-Weasley was going to be my new hero.

I did grudgingly assume that Scorpius might be a Gryffindor, and that he’d be a part of the ‘new trio,’ signalling an end to the Malfoy-Potter rivalry. I was resigned to Scorpius being a somewhat significant character, but since I was never really a Draco fan either, I really didn’t expect to like him.

… Heh. Just goes to show you never really can predict these things. We didn’t get very far into Cursed Child, Part 1 before it became clear who the real star of the show was. Not that Sam Clemmett and Cherrelle Skeete aren’t great, no; there’s not a weak link in that cast. But Anthony Boyle’s Scorpius Malfoy is something else.

Related: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Initial thoughts (spoiler-free)

Boyle’s delivery, the way he perfectly captured the hidden vulnerability of the Malfoy men, while adding something new and uniquely Scorpius, made the audience instantly fall in love with him.

And if our preview performance is anything to go by, Scorpius is going to become an instant fan favorite character — and it’s all thanks to Anthony Boyle. He won the audience over immediately: No other character received the amount of response he got, whether it be laughs, gasps, or tears. Some of the greatest emotional moments (sadly dialogue-less, which will make it hard to translate to script form) involved his character. Surprisingly, some of the funniest moments did, too.

As you know, Cursed Child features both original saga characters and their children, and while there are other standouts (Noma Dumezweni’s Hermione is particularly phenomenal), it’s remarkable how real Scorpius feels. How much he resonates with you on an emotional level. How truly moved you are by his arc.

Anthony Boyle is a star in the making, and if there’s any justice in this world, Cursed Child will propel him to an illustrious career. The play improves tenfold by his presence and gripping performance; putting it bluntly, this extraordinarily talented actor carries a story that, at times, needs a lot of heavy lifting.

And take it from me: Before Harry Potter and the Cursed Child I never would have imagined that I’d be publicly declaring my love for a Malfoy, yet here we are.