Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

SNAPE: That’s — fantastic.

UMBRIDGE

is staring at

SNAPE

. He looks back.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: With you. Granger was with you.

SNAPE: With me? You’re mistaken.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: With you and Scorpius Malfoy. A student I’m becoming increasingly concerned about.

SCORPIUS: Well . . .

SNAPE: Dolores, we’re late for class, so if you’ll excuse us . . .

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: If you’re late for class, why are you not heading back to the school? Why are you heading to the lake?

There’s a moment of pure silence. And then

SNAPE

does something hugely unusual — he smiles.

SNAPE: How long have you suspected?

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!

UMBRIDGE

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 bloodcurdling 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. 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 . . .