Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

SNAPE is pulled hard to the ground and then pushed high into the air as his soul is ripped from him. As 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: Whoa!

SCORPIUS: Albus!

ALBUS: That was close! Did you see that Merman? The guy with the — and then the thing with the — whoa!

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 humor 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 pretense, 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.