Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

And HARRY and his family and his friends are rotated off and away.

ACT FOUR, SCENE THIRTEEN

GODRIC’S HOLLOW, INSIDE JAMES AND LILY POTTER’S HOUSE, 1981

And we’re in the ruins of a house. A house that has undergone a vicious attack.

HAGRID walks through the ruins.

HAGRID: James?

He looks about himself.

Lily?

He walks slowly, unwilling to see too much too soon. He is entirely overwhelmed.

And then he sees them, and he stops, and he says nothing.

Oh. Oh. That’s not — that’s not — I weren’t — They told me, but — I were hoping for better . . .

He looks at them and bows his head. He mutters a few words, and then he takes some crumpled flowers from his deep pockets and lays them on the floor.

I’m sorry, they told me, he told me, Dumbledore told me, I can’t wait with yeh. Them Muggles are coming, yeh see, with their flashing blues and they won’t ’preciate a big lummox like me, would they?

He lets out a sob.

Hard though it is to leave yeh.

I want yeh to know — yeh won’t be forgotten — not by me — not by anyfolk.

And then he hears a sound — the sound of a baby snuffling. HAGRID turns towards it, walking with more intensity now.

He looks down and stands over the crib. Which seems to radiate light.

Well. Hello. Yeh must be Harry.

Hello, Harry Potter.

I’m Rubeus Hagrid.

And I’m gonna be yer friend whether yeh like it or not.

’Cos yeh’ve had it tough, not that yeh know it yet.

An’ yer gonna need friends.

Now yeh best come with me, don’t yeh think?

As flashing blue lights fill the room giving it an almost ethereal glow — he lifts BABY HARRY gently into his arms.

And then — without looking back — he strides away through the house.

And we descend into soft black.

ACT FOUR, SCENE FOURTEEN

HOGWARTS, CLASSROOM

SCORPIUS and ALBUS run into a room, full of excitement. They slam the door after themselves.

SCORPIUS: I can’t quite believe I did that.

ALBUS: I can’t quite believe you did that either.

SCORPIUS: Rose Granger-Weasley. I asked out Rose Granger-Weasley.

ALBUS: And she said no.

SCORPIUS: But I asked her. I planted the acorn. The acorn that will grow into our eventual marriage.

ALBUS: You are aware that you’re an utter fantasist.

SCORPIUS: And I’d agree with you — only Polly Chapman did ask me to the school ball . . .

ALBUS: In an alternate reality where you were significantly — really significantly more popular — a different girl asked you out — and that means —

SCORPIUS: And yes, logic would dictate I should be pursuing Polly — or allowing her to pursue me — she’s a notorious beauty, after all — but a Rose is a Rose.

ALBUS: You know logic would dictate that you’re a freak? Rose hates you.

SCORPIUS: Correction, she used to hate me, but did you see the look in her eyes when I asked? That wasn’t hate, that was pity.

ALBUS: And pity’s good?

SCORPIUS: Pity is a start, my friend, a foundation on which to build a palace — a palace of love.

ALBUS: I honestly thought I’d be the first of us to get a girlfriend.

SCORPIUS: Oh, you will, undoubtedly, probably that new smoky-eyed Potions professor — she’s old enough for you, right?

ALBUS: I don’t have a thing about older women!

SCORPIUS: And you’ve got time — a lot of time — to seduce her. Because Rose is going to take years to persuade.

ALBUS: I admire your confidence.

ROSE comes past them on the stairs. She looks at them both.

ROSE: Hi.

Neither boy knows quite how to reply — she looks at SCORPIUS.

This is only going to be weird if you let it be weird.

SCORPIUS: Received and entirely understood.

ROSE: Okay. “Scorpion King.”

She walks off with a smile on her face. SCORPIUS and ALBUS look at each other. ALBUS grins and punches SCORPIUS on the arm.

ALBUS: Maybe you’re right — pity is a start.

SCORPIUS: Are you heading to Quidditch? Slytherin are playing Hufflepuff — it’s a big one —

ALBUS: I thought we hated Quidditch?