Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

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 realizes.) 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 realizes 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 antagonize 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.