Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

behind. He begins to search again — now with even more fervor.

HARRY: Albus! Albus!

ACT TWO, SCENE SIX

EDGE OF THE FORBIDDEN FOREST

SCORPIUS and ALBUS round a corner to be faced with a gap in the trees . . .

A gap through which is visible . . . a glorious light . . .

SCORPIUS: And there it is . . .

ALBUS: Hogwarts. Never seen this view of it before.

SCORPIUS: Still get a tingle, don’t you? When you see it?

And revealed through the trees is

HOGWARTS

— a splendid mass of bulbous buildings and towers.

From the moment I first heard of it, I was desperate to go. I mean, Dad didn’t much like it there but even the way he described it . . . From the age of ten I’d check the

Daily Prophet

first thing every morning — certain some sort of tragedy would have befallen it — certain I wouldn’t get to go.

ALBUS: And then you got there and it turned out to be terrible after all.

SCORPIUS: Not for me.

ALBUS

looks at his friend, shocked.

All I ever wanted to do was go to Hogwarts and have a mate to get up to mayhem with. Just like Harry Potter. And I got his son. How crazily fortunate is that.

ALBUS: But I’m nothing like my dad.

SCORPIUS: You’re better. You’re my best friend, Albus. And this is mayhem to the nth degree. Which is great, thumbs-up great, it’s just — I have got to say — I don’t mind admitting — I am a tiny bit — just a tiny bit scared.

ALBUS

looks at

SCORPIUS

and smiles.

ALBUS: You’re my best friend too. And don’t worry — I have a good feeling about this.

We hear

RON

’s voice from off — he’s clearly in close proximity.

RON: Albus? Albus.

ALBUS

turns towards it, scared.

ALBUS: But we’ve got to go — now.

ALBUS

takes the Time-Turner from

SCORPIUS

— he presses down upon it and the Time-Turner begins to vibrate and then explodes into a storm of movement.

And with it the stage starts to transform. The two boys look at it.

And there is a giant whoosh of light. A smash of noise.

And time stops. And then it turns over, thinks a bit, and begins spooling backwards, slow at first . . .

And then it speeds up.

ACT TWO, SCENE SEVEN

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT, EDGE OF THE FORBIDDEN FOREST, 1994

Suddenly everything is a riot of noise as a crowd consumes ALBUS and SCORPIUS.

And suddenly the “greatest showman on earth” (his words, not ours) is onstage, using Sonorus to amplify his voice, and . . . well . . . he’s having a ball.

LUDO BAGMAN: Ladies and gentlemen — boys and girls — I give you — the greatest — the fabulous — the one — and the only TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT.

There’s a loud cheer.

If you’re from Hogwarts. Give me a cheer.

There’s a loud cheer.

If you’re from Durmstrang — give me a cheer.

There’s a loud cheer.

AND IF YOU’RE FROM BEAUXBATONS GIVE ME A CHEER.

There’s a slightly limp cheer.

Slightly less enthusiastic from the French there.

SCORPIUS (smiling): This has worked. That’s Ludo Bagman.

LUDO BAGMAN: And there they are. Ladies and gentlemen — boys and girls — I present to you — the reason why we’re all here — THE CHAMPIONS. Representing Durmstrang, what eyebrows, what a gait, what a boy, there’s nothing he won’t try on a broomstick, it’s Viktor Krazy Krum.

SCORPIUS and ALBUS (who are really getting into playing the Durmstrang students now): Go, go, Krazy Krum. Go, go, Krazy Krum.

LUDO BAGMAN: From the Beauxbatons Academy — zut alors, it’s Fleur Delacour!

There’s some polite applause.

And from Hogwarts not one but two students, he makes us all go weaky at the kneesy, he’s Cedric Delicious Diggory.

The crowd go wild.

And then the other—you know him as the Boy Who Lived, I know him as the boy who keeps surprising us all . . .

ALBUS: That’s my dad.

LUDO BAGMAN: Yes, it’s Harry Plucky Potter.