Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter, #8)(18)

SCORPIUS: She didn’t kiss me — did you notice? (He looks at his friend.) Are you okay, Albus? You look a little pale. And red. Pale and red at the same time.

ALBUS: Let’s do this.





ACT TWO, SCENE FIVE





FORBIDDEN FOREST


The forest seems to grow bigger, thicker — and amongst the trees, people searching, looking for the missing wizards. But slowly people melt away until HARRY is left alone.

He hears something. He turns to his right.

HARRY: Albus? Scorpius? Albus?

And then he hears the sound of hooves. HARRY is startled. He looks around for where the noise is coming from.

Suddenly BANE steps forward into the light. He is a magnificent centaur.

BANE: Harry Potter.

HARRY: Good. You still recognize me, Bane.

BANE: You’ve grown older.

HARRY: I have.

BANE: But not wiser. For you trespass on our land.

HARRY: I have always respected the centaurs. We are not enemies. You fought bravely at the Battle of Hogwarts. And I fought beside you.

BANE: I did my part. But for my herd, and our honor. Not for you. And after the battle, the forest was deemed centaur land. And if you’re on our land — without permission — then you are our enemy.

HARRY: My son is missing, Bane. I need help finding him.

BANE: And he is here? In our forest?

HARRY: Yes.

BANE: Then he is as stupid as you are.

HARRY: Can you help me, Bane?

There’s a pause. BANE looks down at HARRY imperiously.

BANE: I can only tell you what I know . . . But I tell you not for your benefit but for the benefit of my herd. The centaurs do not need another war.

HARRY: Neither do we! What do you know?

BANE: I’ve seen your son, Harry Potter. Seen him in the movements of the stars.

HARRY: You’ve seen him in the stars?

BANE: I can’t tell you where he is. I can’t tell you how you’ll find him.

HARRY: But you’ve seen something? You’ve divined something?

BANE: There is a black cloud around your son, a dangerous black cloud.

HARRY: Around Albus?

BANE: A black cloud that may endanger us all. You’ll find your son again, Harry Potter. But then you could lose him forever.

He makes a sound like a horse’s cry — and then makes hard away — leaving a bewildered HARRY 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.