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

  HARRY

  Albus didn’t like me before. He might not like me again. But he will be safe. With the greatest respect, Minerva – you don’t have children—

  GINNY

  Harry!

  HARRY

  —you don’t understand.

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL (deeply hurt)

  I’d hope that a lifetime spent in the teaching profession would mean—

  HARRY

  This map will reveal to you where my son is at all times – I expect you to use it. And if I hear you don’t – then I will come down on this school as hard as I can – using the full force of the Ministry – is that understood?

  PROFESSOR McGONAGALL (bewildered by this vitriol)

  Perfectly.

  GINNY looks at HARRY, unsure of what he’s become. He doesn’t look back.

  ACT TWO SCENE ELEVEN

  HOGWARTS, DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS CLASS

  ALBUS enters the classroom, slightly unsure.

  HERMIONE

  Ah yes. Our train absconder. Finally joining us.

  ALBUS

  Hermione?

  He looks amazed. HERMIONE is standing at the front of the lesson.

  HERMIONE

  Professor Granger I believe is my name, Potter.

  ALBUS

  What are you doing here?

  HERMIONE

  Teaching. For my sins. What are you doing here? Learning I hope.

  ALBUS

  But you’re . . . you’re . . . Minister for Magic.

  HERMIONE

  Been having those dreams again have you Potter? Today we’re going to look at Patronus Charms.

  ALBUS (amazed)

  You’re our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?

  There are titters.

  HERMIONE

  Losing patience now. Ten points from Gryffindor for stupidity.

  POLLY CHAPMAN (standing, full of affront)

  No. No. He’s doing it deliberately. He hates Gryffindor and everyone knows it.

  HERMIONE

  Sit down Polly Chapman before this gets even worse. (POLLY sighs and then sits.) And I suggest you join her, Albus. And end this charade.

  ALBUS

  But you’re not this mean.

  HERMIONE

  And that’s twenty points from Gryffindor to assure Albus Potter that I am this mean.

  YANN FREDERICKS

  If you don’t sit down right now, Albus . . .

  ALBUS sits.

  ALBUS

  Can I just say—

  HERMIONE

  No, you can’t. Just keep quiet Potter, otherwise you’ll lose what limited popularity you already have. Now who can tell me what a Patronus is? No? No one. You really are a most disappointing bunch.

  HERMIONE smiles a thin smile. She really is quite mean.

  ALBUS

  No. This is stupid. Where’s Rose? She’ll tell you that you’re being ridiculous.

  HERMIONE

  Who’s Rose? Your invisible friend?

  ALBUS

  Rose Granger-Weasley! Your daughter! (He realises.) Of course . . . because you and Ron aren’t married Rose—

  There’s giggling.

  HERMIONE

  How dare you! Fifty points from Gryffindor. And I assure you if anyone interrupts me again it’ll be a hundred points . . .

  She stares around the room. No one moves a muscle.

  Good. A Patronus is a magical charm, a projection of all your most positive feelings and takes the shape of the animal with whom you share the deepest affinity. It is a gift of light. If you can conjure a Patronus, you can protect yourself against the world. Which, in some of our cases, seems like a necessity sooner rather than later.

  ACT TWO SCENE TWELVE

  HOGWARTS, STAIRCASES

  ALBUS walks up a staircase. Looking around as he does.

  He doesn’t see anything. He exits. The staircases move in almost a dance.

  SCORPIUS enters behind him. He thinks he’s seen ALBUS, he realises he isn’t there.

  He slumps down to the floor as the staircase sweeps around.

  MADAM HOOCH enters and walks up the staircase. At the top, she gestures for SCORPIUS to move.

  He does. And slopes off – his abject loneliness clear.

  ALBUS enters and walks up one staircase.

  SCORPIUS enters and walks up another.

  The staircases meet. The two boys look at each other.

  Lost and hopeful – all at once.

  And then ALBUS looks away and the moment is broken – and with it, possibly, the friendship.

  And now the staircases part – the two look at each other – one full of guilt – the other full of pain – both full of unhappiness.

  ACT TWO SCENE THIRTEEN

  HARRY AND GINNY POTTER’S HOUSE, KITCHEN

  GINNY and HARRY watch each other warily. There is an argument due, and both of them know it.

  HARRY

  This is the right decision.

  GINNY

  You almost sound convinced.

  HARRY

  You told me to be honest with him, but actually I needed to be honest with myself, trust what my heart was telling me . . .

  GINNY

  Harry, you have one of the greatest hearts of any wizard who ever lived, and I do not believe your heart told you to do this.

  They hear a knock on the door.

  Saved by the door.

  She exits.

  After a moment, DRACO enters, consumed by anger but hiding it well.

  DRACO

  I can’t stay long. I won’t need long.

  HARRY

  How can I help?

  DRACO

  I’m not here to antagonise you. But my son is in tears and I am his father and so I am here to ask why you would keep apart two good friends.

  HARRY

  I’m not keeping them apart.

  DRACO

  You’ve changed school timetables, you’ve threatened both teachers and Albus himself. Why?

  HARRY looks at DRACO carefully and then turns away.

  HARRY

  I have to protect my son.

  DRACO

  From Scorpius?

  HARRY

  Bane told me he sensed a darkness around my son. Near my son.

  DRACO

  What are you implying, Potter?

  HARRY turns and looks DRACO dead in the eye.

  HARRY

  Are you sure . . . are you really sure he’s yours Draco?

  There’s a deadly silence.

  DRACO

  You take that back . . . right now.

  But HARRY doesn’t take it back. So DRACO takes his wand out.

  HARRY

  You do not want to do this.

  DRACO

  Yes I do.

  HARRY

  I don’t want to hurt you, Draco.

  DRACO

  How interesting, because I do want to hurt you.

  The two square up. And then release their wands.

  DRACO and HARRY

  Expelliarmus!

  Their wands repel and then break apart.

  DRACO

  Incarcerous!

  HARRY dodges a blast from DRACO’s wand.

  HARRY

  Tarantallegra!

  DRACO throws himself out of the way.

  HARRY

  You’ve been practising, Draco.

  DRACO

  And you’ve got sloppy, Potter. Densaugeo!

  HARRY just manages to get out of the way.

  HARRY

  Rictusempra!

  DRACO uses a chair to block the blast.

  DRACO

  Flipendo!

  HARRY is sent twirling through the air. DRACO laughs.

  Keep up, old man.

  HARRY

  We’re the same age, Draco.

  DRACO

  I wear it better.

  HARRY

  Brachiabindo!

  DRACO is bound tightly.
r />   DRACO

  That really the best you got? Emancipare!

  DRACO releases his own binds.

  Levicorpus!

  HARRY has to throw himself out of the way.

  Mobilicorpus! Oh, this is too much fun . . .

  DRACO bounces HARRY up and down on the table. And then as HARRY rolls away, DRACO jumps on to the table – he readies his wand, but as he does HARRY hits him with a spell . . .

  HARRY

  Obscuro!

  DRACO releases himself from his blindfold as soon as it hits.

  The two square up – HARRY throws a chair.

  DRACO ducks underneath it and slows the chair with his wand.

  GINNY

  I only left this room three minutes ago!

  She looks at the mess of the kitchen. She looks at the chairs suspended in the air. She signals them back to the floor with her wand.

  (Drier than dry.) What did I miss?

  ACT TWO SCENE FOURTEEN

  HOGWARTS, STAIRCASES

  SCORPIUS walks unhappily down a staircase.

  DELPHI scurries in from the other side.

  DELPHI

  So – technically – I shouldn’t be here.

  SCORPIUS

  Delphi?

  DELPHI

  In fact, technically I’m endangering our entire operation . . . which is not . . . well, I’m not a natural risk-taker as you know. I’ve never been to Hogwarts. Pretty lax security here isn’t there? And so many portraits. And corridors. And ghosts! This half-headless strange-looking ghost told me where I could find you, can you believe that?

  SCORPIUS

  You’ve never been to Hogwarts?

  DELPHI

  I was – unwell – as a child – for a few years. Other people got to go – I did not.

  SCORPIUS

  You were too – ill? I’m sorry, I didn’t know that.

  DELPHI

  I don’t advertise the fact – I prefer not to be seen as a tragic case, you know?

  This registers with SCORPIUS. He looks up to say something but DELPHI suddenly ducks from view as a student walks past. SCORPIUS tries to look casual until the student passes.

  Have they gone?

  SCORPIUS

  Delphi, maybe it is too dangerous for you to be here—

  DELPHI

  Well – someone’s got to do something about this.

  SCORPIUS

  Delphi, none of it worked, time-turning, we failed.

  DELPHI

  I know. Albus owled me. The history books changed but not enough – Cedric still died. In fact, failing the first task only made him more determined to win the second.

  SCORPIUS

  And Ron and Hermione have gone completely skewwhiff – and I still haven’t figured out why.

  DELPHI

  And that’s why Cedric has to wait. It’s all become quite confused and you’re entirely right to be keeping hold of the Time-Turner, Scorpius. But what I meant was – someone’s got to do something about the two of you.

  SCORPIUS

  Oh.

  DELPHI

  You’re best friends. Every owl he sends I can feel your absence. He’s destroyed by it.

  SCORPIUS

  Sounds like he’s found a shoulder to cry on. How many owls has he sent you now?

  DELPHI smiles softly.

  Sorry. That’s – I didn’t mean – I just – don’t understand what’s going on. I’ve tried to see him, talk to him, but every time I do he runs off.

  DELPHI

  You know, I didn’t have a best friend when I was your age. I wanted one. Desperately. When I was younger I even invented one but—

  SCORPIUS

  I had one of those too. Called Flurry. We fell out over the correct rules of Gobstones.

  DELPHI

  Albus needs you, Scorpius. That’s a wonderful thing.

  SCORPIUS

  He needs me to do what?

  DELPHI

  That’s the thing isn’t it? About friendships. You don’t know what he needs. You only know he needs it. Find him Scorpius. You two – you belong together.

  ACT TWO SCENE FIFTEEN

  HARRY AND GINNY POTTER’S HOUSE, KITCHEN

  HARRY and DRACO sit far apart. GINNY stands between them.

  DRACO

  Sorry about your kitchen, Ginny.

  GINNY

  Oh, it’s not my kitchen. Harry does most of the cooking.

  DRACO

  I can’t talk to him either. Scorpius. Especially since – Astoria has gone. I can’t even talk about how losing her has affected him. As hard as I try, I can’t reach him. You can’t talk to Albus. I can’t talk to Scorpius. That’s what this is about. Not about my son being evil. Because as much as you might take the word of a haughty centaur, you know the power of friendship.

  HARRY

  Draco, whatever you may think—

  DRACO

  I always envied you them you know – Weasley and Granger. I had—

  GINNY

  Crabbe and Goyle.

  DRACO

  Two lunks who wouldn’t know one end of a broomstick from another. You – the three of you – you shone you know? You liked each other. You had fun. I envied you those friendships more than anything else.

  GINNY

  I envied them too.

  HARRY looks at GINNY, surprised.

  HARRY

  I need to protect him—

  DRACO

  My father thought he was protecting me. Most of the time. I think you have to make a choice – at a certain point – of the man you want to be. And I tell you that at that time you need a parent or a friend. And if you’ve learnt to hate your parent by then and you have no friends . . . then you’re all alone. And being alone – that’s so hard. I was alone. And it sent me to a truly dark place. For a long time. Tom Riddle was also a lonely child. You may not understand that Harry, but I do – and I think Ginny does too.

  GINNY

  He’s right.

  DRACO

  Tom Riddle didn’t emerge from his dark place. And so Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort. Maybe the black cloud Bane saw was Albus’s loneliness. His pain. His hatred. Don’t lose the boy. You’ll regret it. And so will he. Because he needs you, and Scorpius, whether or not he now knows it.

  HARRY looks at DRACO, he thinks.

  He opens his mouth to speak. He thinks.

  GINNY

  Harry. Will you get the Floo powder or shall I?

  HARRY looks up at his wife.

  ACT TWO SCENE SIXTEEN

  HOGWARTS, LIBRARY

  SCORPIUS arrives in the library. He looks left and right. And then he sees ALBUS. And ALBUS sees him.

  SCORPIUS

  Hi.

  ALBUS

  Scorpius. I can’t . . .

  SCORPIUS

  I know. You’re in Gryffindor now. You don’t want to see me now. But here I am anyway. Talking to you.

  ALBUS

  Well, I can’t talk, so—

  SCORPIUS

  You have to. You think you can just ignore everything that’s happened? The world has gone crazy, have you noticed?

  ALBUS

  I know, okay? Ron’s gone strange. Hermione’s a professor, it’s all wrong but—

  SCORPIUS

  And Rose doesn’t exist.

  ALBUS

  I know. Look, I don’t understand everything, but you can’t be here.

  SCORPIUS

  Because of what we did, Rose wasn’t even born. Do you remember being told about the Triwizard Tournament Yule Ball? All the four Triwizard champions took a partner. Your dad took Parvati Patil, Viktor Krum took—

  ALBUS

  Hermione. And Ron got jealous and behaved like a prat.

  SCORPIUS

  Only he didn’t. I found Rita Skeeter’s book about them. And it’s very different. Ron took Hermione to the ball.

  ALBUS

  What?

  POLLY CHAPMAN

  Ssshhh! />
  SCORPIUS looks at POLLY and drops his volume.

  SCORPIUS

  As friends. And they danced in a friendly way, and it was nice, and then he danced with Padma Patil and that was nicer, and they started dating and he changed a bit and then they got married and meanwhile Hermione became a—

  ALBUS

  —psychopath.

  SCORPIUS

  Hermione was supposed to go to that ball with Krum – do you know why she didn’t? Because she had suspicions the two strange Durmstrang boys she met before the first task were somehow involved in the disappearance of Cedric’s wand. She believed we, under Viktor’s orders, cost Cedric the first task . . .

  ALBUS

  Wow.

  SCORPIUS

  And without Krum, Ron never got jealous and that jealousy was all-important and so Ron and Hermione stayed very good friends but never fell in love – never got married – never had Rose.

  ALBUS

  So that’s why Dad’s so – did he change too?

  SCORPIUS

  I’m pretty sure your dad is exactly the same. Head of Magical Law Enforcement. Married to Ginny. Three kids.

  ALBUS

  So why is he being such a—

  A LIBRARIAN enters at the back of the room.

  SCORPIUS

  Have you heard me, Albus? This is bigger than you and your dad. Professor Croaker’s law – the furthest someone can go back in time without the possibility of serious harm to the traveller or time itself is five hours. And we went back years. The smallest moment, the smallest change, it creates ripples. And we – we’ve created really bad ripples. Rose was never born because of what we did. Rose.

  LIBRARIAN

  Ssshhh!

  ALBUS thinks quickly.

  ALBUS

  Fine, let’s go back – fix it. Get Cedric and Rose back.

  SCORPIUS

  . . . is the wrong answer.

  ALBUS

  You’ve still got the Time-Turner, right? No one found it?

  SCORPIUS takes it out of his pocket.

  SCORPIUS

  Yes, but . . .

  ALBUS snatches it from his hand.

  No. Don’t . . . Albus. Don’t you understand how bad things could get?

  SCORPIUS grabs for the Time-Turner, ALBUS pushes him back, they wrestle inexpertly.

  ALBUS

  Things need fixing, Scorpius. Cedric still needs saving. Rose needs bringing back. We’ll be more careful. Whatever Croaker says, trust me, trust us. We’ll get it right this time.