Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter, #8)(48)

HERMIONE: You remember when we were last here? This feels just like old times.

RON: Old times with a few unwelcome ponytails added to the mix.

DRACO knows a barb when he hears one.

DRACO: Can I just say —

RON: Malfoy, you may be all chummy chummy with Harry, and you may have produced a relatively nice child, but you’ve said some very unfair things to and about my wife . . .

HERMIONE: And your wife doesn’t need you fighting her battles for her.

HERMIONE looks witheringly at RON. RON takes the hit.

RON: Fine. But if you say one thing about her or me . . .

DRACO: You’ll do what, Weasley?

HERMIONE: He’ll hug you. Because we’re all on the same team, aren’t we, Ron?

RON (hesitating in the face of her unwavering gaze): Fine. I, um, I think you’ve got really nice hair. Draco.

HERMIONE: Thank you, husband. Now this seems a good spot. Let’s do this.

DRACO takes out the Time-Turner — it begins spinning wildly as the others take their places around 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.

They look around themselves.

RON: So? Has it worked?





ACT FOUR, SCENE EIGHT





GODRIC’S HOLLOW, A SHED, 1981

ALBUS looks up, amazed to see GINNY and then HARRY, and then he takes in the rest of the happy band (RON, DRACO, and HERMIONE).

ALBUS: MUM?

HARRY: Albus Severus Potter. Are we pleased to see you.

ALBUS runs and throws himself into GINNY’s arms. GINNY receives him, delighted.

ALBUS: You got our note . . . ?

GINNY: We got your note.

SCORPIUS trots up to his dad.

DRACO: We can hug too if you like . . .

SCORPIUS looks at his dad, unsure for a moment. And then they sort of half hug in a very awkward way. DRACO smiles.

RON: Now, where’s this Delphi?

SCORPIUS: You know about Delphi?

ALBUS: She’s here — she’s trying to kill you, we think. Before Voldemort curses himself she’s going to kill you and so break the prophecy and . . .

HERMIONE: Yes, we thought that might be it too. Do you know where specifically she is now?

SCORPIUS: She’s disappeared. How did you — how did you, without the Time-Turner — HARRY (interrupting): That’s a long and complicated story, Scorpius. And we don’t have time for it.

DRACO smiles at HARRY gratefully.

HERMIONE: Harry’s right. Time is of the essence. We need to get people into position. Now, Godric’s Hollow is not a large place but she could be coming from any direction. So we need somewhere that gives us good views of the town — that allows for multiple and clear observation points — and that will, most importantly, keep us hidden, because we cannot risk being seen.

They all frown, thinking.

I’d say St. Jerome’s Church ticks all those boxes, wouldn’t you?





ACT FOUR, SCENE NINE





GODRIC’S HOLLOW, ST. JEROME’S CHURCH, SANCTUARY, 1981

ALBUS is sleeping in a pew. GINNY watches him carefully. HARRY is looking out the opposite window.

HARRY: No. Nothing. Why isn’t she here?

GINNY: We’re together, your mum and dad are alive — we can turn time, Harry, we can’t speed it up. She’ll come when she’s ready, and we’ll be ready for her.

She looks at ALBUS’s sleeping form.

Or some of us will be.

HARRY: Poor kid thought he had to save the world.

GINNY: Poor kid has saved the world. That blanket was masterful. I mean, he also almost destroyed the world, but probably best not to focus on that bit.

HARRY: You think he’s okay?

GINNY: He’s getting there, it just might take him a bit of time — and you a bit of time too.

HARRY smiles. She looks back at ALBUS. HARRY does too.

You know, after I’d opened the Chamber of Secrets — after Voldemort had bewitched me with that terrible diary and I’d almost destroyed everything —

HARRY: I remember.

GINNY: After I came out of hospital — everyone ignored me, shut me out — other than, that is, the boy who had everything — who came across the Gryffindor common room and challenged me to a game of Exploding Snap. People think they know all there is to know about you, but the best bits of you are — have always been — heroic in really quiet ways. My point is — after this is over, just remember if you could that sometimes people — but particularly children — just want someone to play Exploding Snap with.

HARRY: You think that’s what we’re missing — Exploding Snap?

GINNY: No. But the love I felt from you that day — I’m not sure Albus feels that.

HARRY: I’d do anything for him.

GINNY: Harry, you’d do anything for anybody. You were pretty happy to sacrifice yourself for the world. He needs to feel specific love. It’ll make him stronger, and you stronger too.

HARRY: You know, it wasn’t until we thought Albus had gone that I truly understood what my mother was able to do for me. A countercharm so powerful that it was able to repel the spell of death.