Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two Read online

  DOLORES UMBRIDGE rises off the ground. She opens her arms wide, full of Dark Magic. She takes out her wand.

  DOLORES UMBRIDGE

  Years. And I should have acted upon it far earlier.

  SNAPE is faster with his wand.

  SNAPE

  Depulso!

  DOLORES is propelled backwards through the air.

  She always was too grand for her own good. There’s no turning back now.

  The sky turns even blacker still around them.

  Expecto Patronum!

  SNAPE sends forward a Patronus, and it’s a beautiful white shape of a doe.

  SCORPIUS

  A doe? Lily’s Patronus.

  SNAPE

  Strange isn’t it? What comes from within.

  Dementors start to appear all around them. SNAPE knows what this means.

  You need to run. I will keep them at bay for as long as I can.

  SCORPIUS

  Thank you for being my light in the darkness.

  SNAPE looks at him, every inch a hero, he softly smiles.

  SNAPE

  Tell Albus – tell Albus Severus – I’m proud he carries my name. Now go. Go!

  The doe looks back at SCORPIUS, and then starts to run. SCORPIUS thinks and then runs after the doe and around him the world gets scarier. A blood-curdling scream goes up at one side. He sees the lake and throws himself inside.

  SNAPE readies himself.

  SNAPE is pulled hard to the ground and then pushed high into the air as his soul is ripped from him. And the screams just seem to multiply.

  The doe turns to him, with beautiful eyes and disappears.

  There is a bang and a flash. And then silence. And then there’s more silence.

  It’s so still, it’s so peaceful, it’s so perfectly tranquil.

  And then SCORPIUS ascends to the surface. Breathing deeply. He looks around himself. Breathing deep, panicked breaths. He looks up at the sky. The sky certainly seems – bluer than before.

  And then ALBUS ascends after him. There’s a silence. SCORPIUS just looks at ALBUS, disbelieving. Both boys breathe in and out.

  ALBUS

  Whoah!

  SCORPIUS

  Albus!

  ALBUS

  That was close! Did you see that Merman? The guy with the – and then the thing with the – whoah!

  SCORPIUS

  It’s you!

  ALBUS

  It was weird though – I thought I saw Cedric start to expand – but then he sort of started shrinking again – and I looked at you and you had your wand out . . .

  SCORPIUS

  You have no idea how good it is to see you again.

  ALBUS

  You just saw me two minutes ago.

  SCORPIUS hugs ALBUS in the water, a difficult task.

  SCORPIUS

  A lot has happened since then.

  ALBUS

  Careful. You’re drowning me. What are you wearing?

  SCORPIUS

  What am I wearing? (He pulls off his cloak.) What are you wearing? Yes! You’re in Slytherin.

  ALBUS

  Did it work? Did we do anything?

  SCORPIUS

  No. And it’s brilliant.

  ALBUS looks at him – disbelieving.

  ALBUS

  What? We failed.

  SCORPIUS

  Yes. YES. AND IT’S AMAZING.

  He splashes hard in the water. ALBUS pulls himself out to the bank.

  ALBUS

  Scorpius. Have you been eating too many sweets again?

  SCORPIUS

  There you go you see – all dry humour and Albus-y. I love it.

  ALBUS

  Now I’m starting to get worried . . .

  HARRY enters and sprints to the side of the water. Followed quickly by DRACO, GINNY and PROFESSOR McGONAGALL.

  HARRY

  Albus. Albus. Are you okay?

  SCORPIUS (overjoyed)

  Harry! It’s Harry Potter! And Ginny. And Professor McGonagall. And Dad. My dad. Hi. Dad.

  DRACO

  Hello, Scorpius.

  ALBUS

  You’re all here.

  GINNY

  And Myrtle told us everything.

  ALBUS

  What is going on?

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL

  You’re the one who’s just returned from time. Why don’t you tell us?

  SCORPIUS immediately registers what they know.

  SCORPIUS

  Oh no. Oh bother. Where is it?

  ALBUS

  Just returned from where?

  SCORPIUS

  I’ve lost it! I’ve lost the Time-Turner.

  ALBUS (looking at SCORPIUS, deeply annoyed)

  You’ve lost what?

  HARRY

  Time to cut the pretence, Albus.

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL

  I think you’ve got some explaining to do.

  ACT THREE SCENE TEN

  HOGWARTS, HEADMISTRESS’S OFFICE

  DRACO, GINNY and HARRY stand behind a contrite-looking SCORPIUS and ALBUS. PROFESSOR McGONAGALL is fuming.

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL

  So to be clear – you illegally jumped off the Hogwarts Express, you invaded and stole from the Ministry of Magic, you took it upon yourself to change time, whereupon you disappeared two people—

  ALBUS

  I agree it doesn’t sound good.

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL

  And your response to disappearing Hugo and Rose Granger-Weasley was to go back in time again – and this time – instead of losing two people you lost a huge number of people and killed your father – and in doing so you resurrected the worst wizard the world has ever known and heralded in a new age of Dark Magic. (Dry.) You’re correct, Mr Potter, it doesn’t sound good does it? Are you aware how stupid you’ve been?

  SCORPIUS

  Yes, Professor.

  ALBUS hesitates a moment. He looks at HARRY.

  ALBUS

  Yes.

  HARRY

  Professor, if I may—

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL

  You may not. What you choose to do as parents is your matter, but this is my school, and these are my students, and I will choose what punishment they will face.

  DRACO

  Seems fair.

  HARRY looks at GINNY, who shakes her head.

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL

  I should expel you but (with a look to HARRY) all things considered – I think it might be safer for you to remain in my care. You are in detention for – well, you can consider yourself in detention for the rest of the year. Christmas is cancelled for you. You can forget visiting Hogsmeade ever again. And that’s just the start . . .

  Suddenly HERMIONE bursts in. All action and resolve.

  HERMIONE

  What did I miss?

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL (fierce)

  It is considered polite to knock when entering a room, Hermione Granger, maybe you missed that.

  HERMIONE (realises she’s over-stepped)

  Ah.

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL

  If I could also give a detention to you, Minister, I would. Keeping hold of a Time-Turner, of all the stupid things!

  HERMIONE

  In my defence—

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL

  And in a bookcase. You kept it in a bookcase. It’s almost laughable.

  HERMIONE

  Minerva. (There is an intake of breath.) Professor McGonagall—

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL

  Your children didn’t exist!

  HERMIONE has no reply to that.

  This happened in my school, under my watch. After all that Dumbledore did, I couldn’t live with myself . . .

  HERMIONE

  I know.

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL composes herself for a moment.

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL (to ALBUS and SCORPIUS)

  Your intentions to save Cedric were honourable if misguided. And it does sound as if you were brave, Scor
pius, and you, Albus, but the lesson even your father sometimes failed to heed is that bravery doesn’t forgive stupidity. Always think. Think what’s possible. A world controlled by Voldemort is—

  SCORPIUS

  A horrific world.

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL

  You are so young. (She looks at HARRY, DRACO, GINNY and HERMIONE.) You’re all so young. You have no idea how dark the wizarding wars got. You were – reckless – with the world some people – some very dear friends of mine and yours – sacrificed a huge amount to create and sustain.

  ALBUS

  Yes, Professor.

  SCORPIUS

  Yes, Professor.

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL

  Go on. Get out. The lot of you. And find me that Time-Turner.

  ACT THREE SCENE ELEVEN

  HOGWARTS, SLYTHERIN DORMITORY

  ALBUS is sitting in his room. HARRY enters and looks at his son, full of anger, but cautious to not let it spill.

  HARRY

  Thanks for letting me come up.

  ALBUS turns, he nods at his dad. He’s being cautious too.

  No luck, as yet, with the Time-Turner searching. They’re negotiating with the Merpeople to dredge the lake.

  He sits down, uncomfortably.

  This is a nice room.

  ALBUS

  Green is a soothing colour isn’t it? I mean Gryffindor rooms are all well and good, but the trouble with red is – it is said to send you a little mad – not that I’m casting aspersions . . .

  HARRY

  Can you explain why you tried to do this?

  ALBUS

  I thought I could – change things – I thought Cedric – it’s unfair.

  HARRY

  Of course it’s unfair Albus, don’t you think I know that? I was there. I saw him die. But to do this . . . to risk all this . . .

  ALBUS

  I know.

  HARRY (failing to contain his anger)

  If you were trying to do as I did, you went the wrong way about it. I didn’t volunteer for adventure, I was forced into it. You did something really reckless – something really stupid and dangerous – something that could have destroyed everything—

  ALBUS

  I know. Okay, I know.

  Pause. ALBUS wipes away a tear, HARRY notices it and takes a breath. He pulls himself back from the brink.

  HARRY

  Well, I was wrong too – to think Scorpius was Voldemort’s son. He wasn’t a black cloud.

  ALBUS

  No.

  HARRY

  And I’ve locked away the map. You won’t see it again. Your mum left your room exactly as it was when you ran away – you know that? Wouldn’t let me go in – wouldn’t let anyone go in – you really scared her . . . and me.

  ALBUS

  Really scared you?

  HARRY

  Yes.

  ALBUS

  I thought Harry Potter wasn’t afraid of anything?

  HARRY

  Is that how I make you feel?

  ALBUS looks at his dad, trying to figure him out.

  ALBUS

  I don’t think Scorpius said, but when we returned after failing to fix the first task, I was suddenly in Gryffindor house, nothing was better between us then either – so the fact that I’m in Slytherin – that’s not the reason for our problems. It’s not just about that.

  HARRY

  No. I know. It’s not just about that.

  HARRY looks at ALBUS.

  Are you okay, Albus?

  ALBUS

  No.

  HARRY

  No. Nor me.

  ACT THREE SCENE TWELVE

  DREAM, GODRIC’S HOLLOW, GRAVEYARD

  YOUNG HARRY stands looking at a gravestone covered in bunches of flowers. He has a small bunch of flowers in his hand.

  AUNT PETUNIA

  Go on then, lay down your grotty little flowers and then let’s go. I already hate this poxy little village, I don’t know why I even had the thought – Godric’s Hollow, Godless Hollow more like, the place is clearly a hive of filth – go on, chop chop.

  YOUNG HARRY approaches the grave. He stands a moment more.

  Now, Harry . . . I don’t have time for this. Duddy has his Cubs tonight and you know he hates to be late.

  YOUNG HARRY

  Aunt Petunia. We’re their last living relatives, right?

  AUNT PETUNIA

  Yes. You and I. Yes.

  YOUNG HARRY

  And – they weren’t popular? You said they didn’t have any friends?

  AUNT PETUNIA

  Lily tried – bless her – she tried – it wasn’t her fault, but she repelled people – by her very nature. It was her intensity, it was her – manner, it was her – way. And your father – obnoxious man – extraordinarily obnoxious. No friends. Neither of them.

  YOUNG HARRY

  So my question is – why are there so many flowers? Why are there flowers all over their grave?

  AUNT PETUNIA looks around, she sees all the flowers as if for the first time and it moves her hugely. She approaches and then sits by her sister’s grave, trying hard to fight the emotions as they come to her but succumbing all the same.

  AUNT PETUNIA

  Oh. Yes. Well, I suppose there are a – few. Must have blown over from the other graves. Or someone’s playing a trick. Yes, I think that’s most likely, some young rapscallion with too much time on his hands, has gone around collecting flowers from all the other graves and deposited them here—

  YOUNG HARRY

  But they’re all marked with their names . . . Lily and James, what you did, we will never forget . . . Lily and James, your sacrifice—

  VOLDEMORT

  I smell guilt, there is a stench of guilt upon the air.

  AUNT PETUNIA (to YOUNG HARRY)

  Get away. Get away from there.

  She pulls him back. VOLDEMORT’s hand rises into the air above the Potters’ gravestone, the rest of him rises after. We don’t see his face but his body provides a jagged, horrific shape.

  I knew it. This place is dangerous. The sooner we leave Godric’s Hollow the better.

  YOUNG HARRY is pulled from the stage, but turns to face VOLDEMORT.

  VOLDEMORT

  Do you still see with my eyes, Harry Potter?

  YOUNG HARRY exits disturbed as ALBUS bursts from within VOLDEMORT’s cloak. He reaches out a desperate hand towards his dad.

  ALBUS

  Dad . . . Dad . . .

  There’s some words spoken in Parseltongue.

  He’s coming. He’s coming. He’s coming.

  And then a scream.

  And then right from the back of the room and whispering around everyone. Words said with an unmistakeable voice. The voice of VOLDEMORT . . .

  Haaarry Pottttter . . .

  ACT THREE SCENE THIRTEEN

  HARRY AND GINNY POTTER’S HOUSE, KITCHEN

  HARRY is in a horrible state. Petrified by what he thinks his dreams are telling him.

  GINNY

  Harry? Harry? What is it? You were screaming . . .

  HARRY

  They haven’t stopped. The dreams.

  GINNY

  They weren’t likely to stop immediately. It’s been a stressful time and—

  HARRY

  But I was never in Godric’s Hollow with Petunia. This doesn’t—

  GINNY

  Harry, you’re really scaring me.

  HARRY

  He’s still here, Ginny.

  GINNY

  Who’s still here?

  HARRY

  Voldemort. I saw Voldemort and Albus.

  GINNY

  And Albus . . . ?

  HARRY

  He said – Voldemort said – ‘I smell guilt, there is a stench of guilt upon the air.’ He was talking to me.

  HARRY looks at her. He touches his scar. Her face falls.

  GINNY

  Harry, is Albus still in danger?

  HARRY’s face grows white.<
br />
  HARRY

  I think we all are.

  ACT THREE SCENE FOURTEEN

  HOGWARTS, SLYTHERIN DORMITORY

  SCORPIUS leans ominously over ALBUS’s bedhead.

  SCORPIUS

  Albus . . . Psst . . . Albus.

  ALBUS doesn’t wake.

  ALBUS!

  ALBUS wakes with a shock. SCORPIUS laughs.

  ALBUS

  Pleasant. That’s a pleasant and not scary way to wake up.

  SCORPIUS

  You know it’s the strangest of things but ever since being in the scariest place imaginable I’m pretty much good with fear. I am – Scorpius the Dreadless. I am – Malfoy the Unanxious.

  ALBUS

  Good.

  SCORPIUS

  I mean, normally, being in lockdown, being in constant detention. It’d break me but now – what’s the worst they can do? Bring back Mouldy Voldy and have him torture me? Nope.

  ALBUS

  You’re scary when you’re in a good mood, you know that?

  SCORPIUS

  When Rose came up to me today in Potions and called me Bread Head, I almost hugged her. No, there’s no almost about it, I actually tried to hug her, and then she kicked me in the shin.

  ALBUS

  I’m not sure being fearless is going to be good for your health.

  SCORPIUS looks at ALBUS; his face grows more contemplative.

  SCORPIUS

  You don’t know how good it is to be back here, Albus. I hated it there.

  ALBUS

  Apart from the Polly Chapman fancying you bits.

  SCORPIUS

  Cedric was a different person entirely – dark, dangerous. My dad – doing anything they wanted him to. And me? I discovered another Scorpius you know? Entitled, angry, mean – people were frightened of me. It feels like we were all tested and we all – failed.

  ALBUS

  But you changed things. You had a chance and you changed time back. Changed yourself back.

  SCORPIUS

  Only because I knew what I should be.

  ALBUS digests this.

  ALBUS

  Do you think I’ve been tested too? I have, haven’t I?

  SCORPIUS

  No. Not yet.

  ALBUS

  You’re wrong. The stupid thing wasn’t going back once – anyone can make that mistake – the stupid thing was being arrogant enough to go back twice.

  SCORPIUS

  We both went back, Albus.

  ALBUS

  And why was I so determined to do this? Cedric? Really? No. I had something to prove. My dad’s right – he didn’t volunteer for adventure – me, this, it’s all my fault – and if it wasn’t for you everything could have gone Dark.