Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter, #8)(28)

There is a giant whoosh of light and smash of noise. And time stops. And then it turns over, thinks a bit, and begins spooling backwards . . .

The boys are gone.

HARRY appears at a run, a deep frown on his face, behind him DRACO, GINNY, and PROFESSOR McGONAGALL.

HARRY: Albus . . . Albus . . .

GINNY: He’s gone.

They find the boys’ cloaks on the ground.

PROFESSOR McGONAGALL (consulting the map): He’s disappeared. No, he’s traveling under Hogwarts grounds, no, he’s disappeared . . .

DRACO: How is he doing this?

MOANING MYRTLE: He’s using a rather pretty trinket thingy.

HARRY: Myrtle!

MOANING MYRTLE: Oops, you caught me. And I was trying so hard to hide. Hello, Harry. Hello, Draco. Have you been bad boys again?

HARRY: What trinket is he using?

MOANING MYRTLE: I think it was a secret, but I could never keep anything from you, Harry. How is it you’ve grown handsomer and handsomer as you’ve aged? And you’re taller.

HARRY: My son is in danger. I need your help. What are they doing, Myrtle?

MOANING MYRTLE: He’s after saving a dishy boy. A certain Cedric Diggory.

HARRY immediately realizes what’s happened, and is horrified.

PROFESSOR McGONAGALL: But Cedric Diggory died years ago . . .

MOANING MYRTLE: He seemed quite confident he could get around that fact. He’s very confident, Harry, just like you.

HARRY: He heard me talking — to Amos Diggory . . . could he have . . . the Ministry’s Time-Turner. No, that’s impossible.

PROFESSOR McGONAGALL: The Ministry has a Time-Turner? I thought they were destroyed?

MOANING MYRTLE: Isn’t everyone so naughty?

DRACO: Can someone please explain what’s going on?

HARRY: Albus and Scorpius are not disappearing and reappearing — they’re traveling. Traveling in time.





ACT TWO, SCENE TWENTY





TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT, LAKE, 1995

LUDO BAGMAN: Ladies and gentlemen — boys and girls — I give you — the greatest — the fabulous — the one — and the only TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT. If you’re from Hogwarts. Give me a cheer.

There’s a loud cheer.

And now ALBUS and SCORPIUS are swimming through the lake. Descending through the water with graceful ease.

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 less limp cheer.

The French are getting into this.

And they’re off . . . Viktor’s a shark, of course he is, Fleur looks remarkable, ever plucky Harry is using gillyweed, clever Harry, very clever — and Cedric — well, Cedric, what a treat, ladies and gentlemen, Cedric is using a Bubble Charm to cruise through the lake.

CEDRIC DIGGORY approaches them through the water, a bubble over his head. ALBUS and SCORPIUS raise their wands together and fire an Engorgement Charm through the water.

He turns and looks at them, confused. And it hits him. And around him the water glows gold.

And then CEDRIC starts to grow — and grow again — and grow some more. He looks around himself — entirely panicked. And the boys watch as CEDRIC ascends helplessly through the water.

But no, what’s this . . . Cedric Diggory is ascending out of the water and seemingly out of the competition. Oh, ladies and gentlemen, we don’t have our winner but we certainly have our loser. Cedric Diggory is turning into a balloon, and this balloon wants to fly. Fly, ladies and gentlemen, fly. Fly out of the task and out of the tournament and — oh my, it gets wilder still, around Cedric, fireworks explode declaiming — “Ron loves Hermione” — and the crowd love that — oh, ladies and gentlemen, the look on Cedric’s face. It’s quite some picture, it’s quite some sight, it’s quite some tragedy. This is a humiliation, there’s no other word for it.

And ALBUS smiles widely and high-fives SCORPIUS in the water.

And ALBUS points up, and SCORPIUS nods, and they start to swim ever upwards. And as CEDRIC ascends, people start to laugh, and everything changes.

The world becomes darker. The world becomes almost black, in fact.

And there’s a flash. And a bang. And the Time-Turner ticks to a stop. And we’re back in the present.

SCORPIUS suddenly emerges, shooting up through the water. And he’s triumphant.

SCORPIUS: Woooo-hoooooo!

He looks around, surprised. Where’s ALBUS? He puts his arms into the air.

We did it!

He waits another beat.

Albus?

ALBUS still doesn’t emerge. SCORPIUS treads water, he thinks and then he ducks back into the water.

He emerges back up again. Now thoroughly panicked. He looks around.

Albus . . . ALBUS . . . ALBUS.

And there’s a whisper in Parseltongue. Which travels fast around the audience.

He’s coming. He’s coming. He’s coming.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: Scorpius Malfoy. Get out of the lake. Get out of the lake. Right now.

She pulls him out of the water.

SCORPIUS: Miss. I need help. Please, Miss.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: Miss? I’m Professor Umbridge, the headmistress of your school, I’m no “Miss.”

SCORPIUS: You’re the headmistress? But I . . .