Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter, #8)(47)

The door swings open.

Rumor was right. Time to steal some wands and get potioning.





ACT FOUR, SCENE SIX





HARRY AND GINNY POTTER’S HOUSE, ALBUS’S ROOM

HARRY is sitting on ALBUS’s bed. GINNY enters. She looks at him.

GINNY: Surprised to find you here.

HARRY: Don’t worry, I haven’t touched anything. Your shrine is preserved. (He winces.) Sorry. Bad choice of words.

GINNY says nothing, HARRY looks up at her.

You know I’ve had some pretty terrible Hallows’ Eves — but this is undoubtedly at least the — second worst.

GINNY: I was wrong — to blame you. I always accuse you of jumping to things and it was me who — Albus went missing and I assumed it was your fault. I’m sorry I did that.

HARRY: You don’t think this is my fault?

GINNY: Harry, he was kidnapped by a powerful Dark witch, how can that be your fault?

HARRY: I chased him away. I chased him to her.

GINNY: Can we not treat this as if the battle is already lost?

GINNY nods. HARRY starts to cry.

HARRY: I’m sorry, Gin . . .

GINNY: Are you not listening to me? I’m sorry too.

HARRY: I shouldn’t have survived — it was my destiny to die — even Dumbledore thought so — and yet I lived. I beat Voldemort. All these people — all these people — my parents, Fred, the Fallen Fifty — and it’s me that gets to live? How is that? All this damage — and it’s my fault.

GINNY: They were killed by Voldemort.

HARRY: But if I’d stopped him sooner? All that blood on my hands. And now our son has been taken too — GINNY: He’s not dead. Do you hear me, Harry? He’s not dead.

She takes HARRY in her arms. There is a big pause filled with pure unhappiness.

HARRY: The Boy Who Lived. How many people have to die for the Boy Who Lived?

HARRY sways a moment, unsure. Then he notices the blanket. He walks towards it.

This blanket is all I have, you know . . . of that Hallows’ Eve. This is all I have to remember them. And whilst — He picks up the blanket. He discovers it has holes in it. He looks at it, dismayed.

This has got holes in it. Ron’s idiotic love potion has burnt through it, right through it. Look at this. It’s ruined. Ruined.

He opens up the blanket. He sees writing burnt through it. He’s surprised.

What?

GINNY: Harry, it has — something — written —

On another part of the stage, ALBUS and SCORPIUS appear.

ALBUS: “Dad . . .”

SCORPIUS: We’re starting with “Dad”?

ALBUS: So he’ll know it’s from me.

SCORPIUS: Harry is his name. We should start with “Harry.”

ALBUS (firm): We’re starting with “Dad.”

HARRY: “Dad,” does it say, “Dad”? It’s not that distinct . . .

SCORPIUS: “Dad, HELP.”

GINNY: “Hello”? Does that say “Hello”? And then . . . “Good.”

HARRY: “Dad Hello Good Hello”? No. This is . . . a strange joke.

ALBUS: “Dad. Help. Godric’s Hollow.”

GINNY: Give me that. My eyesight is better than yours. Yes. “Dad Hello Good” — that’s not “Hello” again — that’s “Hallow” or “Hollow”? And then some numbers — these are clearer — “3 — 1 — 1 — 0 — 8 — 1.” Is this one of those Muggle telephone numbers? Or a grid reference or a . . .

HARRY looks up, several thoughts smashing through his brain at once.

HARRY: No. It’s a date. 31st October, 1981. The date my parents were killed.

GINNY looks at HARRY, and then back at the blanket.

GINNY: That doesn’t say “Hello.” It says “Help.”

HARRY: “Dad. Help. Godric’s Hollow. 31/10/81.” It’s a message. Clever boy left me a message.

HARRY kisses GINNY hard.

GINNY: Albus wrote this?

HARRY: And he’s told me where they are and when they are and now we know where she is, we know where we can fight her.

He kisses her hard again.

GINNY: We haven’t got them back again yet.

HARRY: I’ll send an owl to Hermione. You send one to Draco. Tell them to meet us at Godric’s with the Time-Turner.

GINNY: And it is “us,” okay? Don’t even think about going back without me, Harry.

HARRY: Of course you’re coming. We have a chance, Ginny, and by Dumbledore — that’s all that we need — a chance.





ACT FOUR, SCENE SEVEN





GODRIC’S HOLLOW

RON, HERMIONE, DRACO, HARRY, and GINNY walk through a present-day Godric’s Hollow. A busy market town (it’s expanded over the years).

HERMIONE: Godric’s Hollow. It must be twenty years . . .

GINNY: Is it just me or are there more Muggles about . . .

HERMIONE: It’s become quite popular as a weekend break.

DRACO: I can see why — look at the thatched roofs. And is that a farmers’ market?

HERMIONE approaches HARRY — who is looking around himself, overwhelmed by all that he’s seeing.