Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter, #8)(19)

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.

There’s cheering. Particularly from a nervous-looking girl at the edge of the crowd—this is YOUNG HERMIONE (played by the same actress as plays ROSE). It is noticeable that the cheering for HARRY is slightly less than that for CEDRIC.

And now — silence please, all. The — first — task. Retrieving a golden egg. From a nest of — ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you — DRAGONS. And guiding the dragons — CHARLIE WEASLEY.

There are more cheers.

YOUNG HERMIONE: If you’re going to stand so close I’d rather you didn’t breathe on me quite so much.

SCORPIUS: Rose? What are you doing here?

YOUNG HERMIONE: Who’s Rose? And what’s happened to your accent?

ALBUS (with a bad accent): Sorry. Hermione. He’s got you mixed up with someone else.

YOUNG HERMIONE: How do you know my name?

LUDO BAGMAN: And with no time to lose let’s bring out our first champion — facing a Swedish Short-Snout, I give you — CEDRIC DIGGORY.

A dragon roar distracts YOUNG HERMIONE, and ALBUS readies his wand.

And Cedric Diggory has entered the stage. And he seems ready. Scared, but ready. He dodges this way. He dodges that. The girls swoon as he dives for cover. They cry as one: Don’t damage our Diggory, Mr. Dragon!

SCORPIUS looks concerned.

SCORPIUS: Albus, something is going wrong. The Time-Turner, it’s shaking.

A ticking begins, an incessant, dangerous ticking. It’s coming from the Time-Turner.

LUDO BAGMAN: And Cedric skirts left and he dives right — and he readies his wand — what has this young, brave, handsome man got up his sleevies now —

ALBUS (extending his wand): Expelliarmus!

CEDRIC’s wand is summoned to ALBUS’s hand.

LUDO BAGMAN: — but no, what’s this? Is it Dark Magic or is it something else entirely? His wand is flying away — Cedric Diggory is Disarmed —

SCORPIUS: Albus, I think the Time-Turner — something is wrong . . .

The Time-Turner’s ticking gets louder still.

LUDO BAGMAN: It’s all going wrong for Diggors. This could be the end of the task for him. The end of the tournament.

SCORPIUS grabs ALBUS.

There’s a crescendo in the ticking, and a flash.

And time is turned back to the present, with ALBUS hollering in pain.

SCORPIUS: Albus! Did it hurt you? Albus, are you —

ALBUS: What happened?

SCORPIUS: There must be some limit — the Time-Turner must have some kind of time limit . . .

ALBUS: Do you think we’ve done it? Do you think we’ve changed anything?

Suddenly the stage is invaded from all sides by HARRY, RON (who now has a side parting in his hair and whose wardrobe choices have become rather more staid), GINNY, and DRACO. SCORPIUS looks at them all — and slips the Time-Turner back into his pocket. ALBUS looks at them rather more blankly — he’s in a lot of pain.

RON: I told you. I told you I saw them.

SCORPIUS: I think we’re about to find out.

ALBUS: Hello, Dad. Is something wrong?

HARRY looks at his son disbelievingly.

HARRY: Yes. You could say that.

ALBUS collapses onto the floor. HARRY and GINNY rush to help.





ACT TWO, SCENE EIGHT





HOGWARTS, HOSPITAL WING

ALBUS is asleep in a hospital bed. HARRY sits troubled beside him. Above them is a picture of a concerned kindly man. HARRY rubs his eyes — stands — and walks around the room. He stretches out his back.

And then he meets eyes with the painting. Which looks startled to be spotted. And HARRY looks startled back.

HARRY: Professor Dumbledore.

DUMBLEDORE: Good evening, Harry.

HARRY: I’ve missed you. Whenever I’ve dropped in on the headmistress lately, your frame’s been empty.

DUMBLEDORE: Ah, well, I do like to pop into my other portraits now and then. (He looks at ALBUS.) Will he be all right?

HARRY: He’s been out twenty-four hours, mostly in order so Madam Pomfrey could reset his arm. She said it was the strangest thing, it’s like it was broken twenty years ago and allowed to set in the “most contrary” of directions. She says he’ll be fine.