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HARRY: But I don’t need to read it — I’m out there, hearing about it. Theodore Nott — it was me who heard the rumors about the Time-Turner and me who acted upon it. You really don’t need to tell me off.

HERMIONE

looks at

HARRY

— this is tricky.

HERMIONE: Do you fancy a toffee? Don’t tell Ron.

HARRY: You’re changing the subject.

HERMIONE: I truly am. Toffee?

HARRY: Can’t. We’re off sugar at the moment. (Beat. ) You know, you can get addicted to that stuff?

HERMIONE: What can I say? My parents were dentists, I was bound to rebel at some point. Forty is leaving it a little late, but. . . You’ve just done a brilliant thing. You’re certainly not being told off — I just need you to look at your paperwork every now and again, that’s all. Consider this a gentle — nudge — from the Minister for Magic.

HARRY

hears the implication in her emphasis, he nods.

How’s Ginny? How’s Albus?

HARRY: It seems I’m as good at fatherhood as I am at paperwork. How’s Rose? How’s Hugo?

HERMIONE(with a grin): You know, Ron says he thinks I see more of my secretary, Ethel, (she indicates off) than him. Do you think there’s a point where we made a choice — parent of the year or Ministry official of the year? Go on. Go home to your family, Harry, the Hogwarts Express is about to depart for another year — enjoy the time you’ve got left — and then come back here with a fresh head and get these files read.

HARRY: You really think this could all mean something?

HERMIONE(with a smile): It could do. But if it does, we’ll find a way to fight it, Harry. We always have.

She smiles once more, pops a toffee in her mouth, and leaves the office.

HARRY

is left alone. He packs his bag. He walks out of the office and down a corridor. The weight of the world upon his shoulders.

He walks, tired, into a telephone box. He dials 62442.

TELEPHONE BOX: Farewell, Harry Potter.

He ascends away from the Ministry of Magic.

ACT ONE, SCENE SIX

HARRY AND GINNY POTTER’S HOUSE

ALBUS can’t sleep. He is sitting at the top of the stairs. He hears voices below him. We hear HARRY ’s voice before he’s revealed. An elderly man in a wheelchair is with him, AMOS DIGGORY.

HARRY: Amos, I understand, I really do — but I’m only just home and —

AMOS: I’ve tried to make appointments at the Ministry. They say, “Ah, Mr. Diggory, we have an appointment for you, let’s see, in two months. ” I wait. Very patiently.

HARRY: —and coming to my house in the middle of the night — when my kids are just getting ready for their new year at school — it’s not right.

AMOS: Two months pass, I receive an owl, “Mr. Diggory, I’m awfully sorry, but Mr. Potter has been called away on urgent business, we’re going to have to shift things around a little, are you available for an appointment in, let’s see, in two months’ time. ” And then it repeats again, and again. . . You’re shutting me out.

HARRY: Of course I’m not. It’s just, I’m afraid, as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement I’m afraid I’m responsible —

AMOS: There’s plenty you’re responsible for.

HARRY: Sorry?

AMOS: My son, Cedric, you do remember Cedric, don’t you?

HARRY(remembering Cedric hurts him): Yes, I remember your son. His loss —

AMOS: Voldemort wanted you! Not my son! You told me yourself, the words he said were, “Kill the spare. ” The spare. My son, my beautiful son, was a spare.

HARRY: Mr. Diggory, as you know, I sympathize with your efforts to memorialize Cedric, but —

AMOS: A memorial? I am not interested in a memorial — not anymore. I am an old man — an old dying man — and I am here to ask you — beg you — to help me get him back.

HARRY

looks up, astonished.

HARRY: Get him back? Amos, that’s not possible.

AMOS: The Ministry has a Time-Turner, does it not?

HARRY: The Time-Turners were all destroyed.

AMOS: The reason I’m here with such urgency is I’ve just heard rumor — strong rumor — that the Ministry seized an illegal Time-Turner from Theodore Nott and has kept it. For investigation. Let me use that Time-Turner. Let me have my son back.

There’s a long, deadly pause.

HARRY

is finding this extremely difficult. We watch as

ALBUS

moves closer, listening.

HARRY: Amos, playing with time? You know we can’t do that.

AMOS: How many people have died for the Boy Who Lived? I’m asking you to save one of them.

This hurts

HARRY

. He thinks, his face hardens.

HARRY: Whatever you’ve heard, the Theodore Nott story is a fiction, Amos, I’m sorry.

DELPHI: Hello.

ALBUS

jumps a mile as

DELPHI

— a twenty-something, determined-looking woman — is revealed, looking through the stairs at him.

Oh. Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle. I used to be a big stair-listener myself. Sitting there. Waiting for someone to say something the tiniest bit interesting.

ALBUS: Who are you? Because this is sort of my house and. . .

DELPHI: I’m a thief, of course. I’m about to steal everything you own. Give me your gold, your wand, and your Chocolate Frogs! (She looks fierce and then smiles. ) Either that or I’m Delphini Diggory. (She ascends the stairs and sticks out a hand. ) Delphi. I look after him — Amos — well, I try. (She indicates AMOS. ) And you are?

ALBUS(rueful grin): Albus.

DELPHI: Of course! Albus Potter! So Harry is your dad? That’s a bit wow, isn’t it?

ALBUS: Not really.

DELPHI: Ah. Have I just put my foot in it? It’s what they used to say about me at school. Delphini Diggory — there isn’t a hole she couldn’t dig herself into.

ALBUS: They do all sorts with my name too.

Pause. She looks at him carefully.

AMOS: Delphi.

She makes to depart and then hesitates. She smiles at

ALBUS

DELPHI: We don’t choose who we’re related to. Amos. . . isn’t just my patient, he’s my uncle, it’s part of the reason I took the job at Upper Flagley. But that’s made it difficult. It’s tough to live with people stuck in the past, isn’t it?

AMOS: Delphi!

ALBUS: Upper Flagley?

DELPHI: St. Oswald’s Home for Old Witches and Wizards. Come see us sometime. If you like.

AMOS: DELPHI!

She smiles and then trips as she travels down the stairs. She enters the room with

AMOS

and

HARRY

in it.

ALBUS

watches her.

DELPHI: Yes, Uncle?

AMOS: Meet the once-great Harry Potter, now a stone-cold Ministry man. I will leave you in peace, sir. If peace is the right word for it. Delphi, my chair. . .

DELPHI: Yes, Uncle.

AMOS

is pushed out of the room.

HARRY

is left, looking forlorn.

ALBUS

watches on, thinking carefully.

ACT ONE, SCENE SEVEN

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

ALBUS is sitting on the bed as the world goes on outside his door. Still against the constant motion outside. We hear a roar from JAMES (off).

GINNY: James, please, ignore your hair, and tidy that damn room. . .

JAMES: How can I ignore it? It’s pink! I’m going to have to use my Invisibility Cloak!

JAMES

appears at the door, he has pink hair.

GINNY: That’s not why your dad gave you that Cloak!

LILY: Who’s seen my Potions book?

GINNY: Lily Potter, don’t think you’re wearing those to school tomorrow. . .

LILY

appears at

ALBUS

’s door. She’s wearing fairy wings that flutter.

LILY: I love them. They’re fluttery.

She exits as

HARRY

appears in

ALBUS

’s doorway. He looks through.

HARRY: Hi.

There’s an awkward pause between them.

GINNY

appears in the doorway. She sees what’s happening, she stays a moment.

Just delivering a pre-Hogwarts gift — gifts — Ron’s sent this. . .

ALBUS: Okay. A love potion. Okay.

HARRY: I think it’s a joke about — I don’t know what. Lily got farting gnomes, James got a comb that’s made his hair turn a shade of pink. Ron — well, Ron’s Ron, you know?

HARRY

puts down

ALBUS

’s love potion on his bed.

I also — this is from me. . .

He reveals a small blanket.

GINNY

looks at it, she sees

HARRY

is trying, and then she softly walks away.

ALBUS: An old blanket?

HARRY: I thought a lot about what to give you this year. James — well, James has been going on about the Invisibility Cloak since time itself, and Lily — I knew she’d love wings — but you. You’re fourteen years old now, Albus, and I wanted to give you something which — meant something. This. . . is the last thing I had from my mum. The only thing. I was given to the Dursleys wrapped in it. I thought it had gone forever and then, when your great-aunt Petunia died, hidden amongst her possessions, surprisingly, Dudley found this and he kindly sent it on to me, and ever since then — well, anytime I’ve wanted luck I’ve found it and just tried to hold it and I wondered if you. . .

ALBUS: Wanted to hold it too? Okay. Done. Let’s hope it brings me luck. I certainly need some.

He touches the blanket.

But you should keep it.

HARRY: I think — believe — Petunia wanted me to have it, that’s why she kept it, and now I want you to have it from me. I didn’t really know my mother — but I think she’d have wanted you to have it too. And maybe — I could come find you — and it — on Hallows’ Eve. I’d like to be with it on the night they died — and that could be good for the two of us. . .

ALBUS: Listen, I’ve got quite a lot of packing to do, and you undoubtedly have Ministry work coming out of your ears, so. . .

HARRY: Albus, I want you to have the blanket.

ALBUS: And do what with it? Fairy wings make sense, Dad, invisibility cloaks, they also make sense — but this — really?

HARRY

is slightly heartbroken. He looks at his son, desperate to reach out.

HARRY: Do you want a hand? Packing. I always loved packing. It meant I was leaving Privet Drive and going back to Hogwarts. Which was. . . well, I know you don’t love it but. . .

ALBUS: For you, it’s the greatest place on earth. I know. The poor orphan, bullied by his uncle and aunt Dursley. . .

HARRY: Albus, please — can we just —

ALBUS: . . . traumatized by his cousin, Dudley, saved by Hogwarts. I know it all, Dad. Blah, blah, blah.

HARRY: I’m not going to rise to your bait, Albus Potter.

ALBUS: The poor orphan who went on to save us all. So may I say — on behalf of wizarding kind — how grateful we are for your heroism. Should we bow now or will a curtsy do?

HARRY: Albus, please — you know, I’ve never wanted gratitude.

ALBUS: But right now I’m overflowing with it — it must be the kind gift of this moldy blanket that did it. . .

HARRY: Moldy blanket?

ALBUS: What did you think would happen? We’d hug. I’d tell you I always loved you. What? What?

HARRY(finally losing his temper): You know what? I’m done with being made responsible for your unhappiness. At least you’ve got a dad. Because I didn’t, okay?

ALBUS: And you think that was unlucky? I don’t.

HARRY: You wish me dead?

ALBUS: No! I just wish you weren’t my dad.

HARRY(seeing red): Well, there are times I wish you weren’t my son.

There’s a silence.

ALBUS

nods. Pause.

HARRY

realizes what he’s said.

No, I didn’t mean that. . .

ALBUS: Yes. You did.

HARRY: Albus, you just know how to get under my skin. . .

ALBUS: You meant it, Dad. And, honestly, I don’t blame you.

There’s a horrible pause.

You should probably leave me alone now.

HARRY: Albus, please. . .

ALBUS

picks up the blanket and throws it. It collides with

RON

’s love potion, which spills all over the blanket and the bed, producing a small puff of smoke.

ALBUS: No luck or love for me, then.

ALBUS

runs out of the room.

HARRY

goes after him.

HARRY: Albus. Albus. . . Please. . .

ACT ONE, SCENE EIGHT

DREAM, HUT-ON-THE-ROCK

There’s a LARGE BOOM. Then there’s a LARGE CRASH. DUDLEY DURSLEY, AUNT PETUNIA, and UNCLE VERNON are cowering behind a bed.

DUDLEY DURSLEY: Mum, I don’t like this.

AUNT PETUNIA: I knew we made a mistake coming here. Vernon. Vernon. There’s nowhere we can hide. Not even a lighthouse is far enough away!

There’s another LARGE BOOM.

UNCLE VERNON: Hold on. Hold on. Whatever it is, it’s not coming in here.

AUNT PETUNIA: We’re cursed! He’s cursed us! The boy has cursed us! (Seeing YOUNG HARRY. ) This is all your fault. Get back in your hole.

YOUNG HARRY

flinches away as

UNCLE VERNON

holds out his rifle.

UNCLE VERNON: Whoever’s there, I should warn you — I’m armed.

There’s a MASSIVE SMASH. And the door falls off its hinges.

HAGRID

stands in the middle of the doorway. He looks at them all.

HAGRID: Couldn’t make us a cup o’ tea, could yeh? It’s not been an easy journey.

DUDLEY DURSLEY: Look. At. Him.

UNCLE VERNON: Stand back. Stand back. Behind me, Petunia. Behind me, Dudley. I’ll soon see this scarramanger off.

HAGRID: Scarrawhat?

He picks up

UNCLE VERNON

’s gun.

Haven’t seen one of these for a while.

He twists the end of the gun and ties it in a knot.

Oops-a-daisy.

And then he gets distracted. He’s seen

YOUNG HARRY

Harry Potter.

YOUNG HARRY: Hello.

HAGRID: Las’ time I saw yeh, yeh was only a baby. Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh’ve got yer mum’s eyes.

YOUNG HARRY: You knew my parents?

HAGRID: Where’s me manners? A very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it’ll taste all right.

From inside his coat he pulls a slightly squashed chocolate cake with “Happy Birthday Harry” written on it in green icing.

YOUNG HARRY: Who are you?

HAGRID(laughing): True, I haven’t introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. (He looks around himself. ) What about that tea, then, eh? I’d not say no ter summat stronger if yeh’ve got it, mind.

YOUNG HARRY: Hogwhere?

HAGRID: Hogwarts. Yeh’ll know all about Hogwarts, o’ course.

YOUNG HARRY: Er — no. Sorry.

HAGRID: Sorry? It’s them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren’t gettin’ yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn’t even know abou’ Hogwarts, fer cryin’ out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learnt it all?

YOUNG HARRY: Learnt what?

HAGRID

turns menacingly towards

UNCLE VERNON

HAGRID: Do you mean ter tell me, that this boy — this boy! — knows nothin’ abou’ — about ANYTHING?

UNCLE VERNON: I forbid you to tell the boy anything more!

YOUNG HARRY: Tell me what?

HAGRID

looks at

UNCLE VERNON

and then at

YOUNG HARRY

HAGRID: Harry — yer a wizard — yeh changed everything. Yer the most famous wizard in the whole world.

And then, right from the back of the room, whispering around everyone.

Words said with an unmistakable voice. The voice of

VOLDEMORT

. . .

Haaarry Pottttter.

ACT ONE, SCENE NINE

HARRY AND GINNY POTTER’S HOUSE, BEDROOM

HARRY wakes suddenly. Breathing deeply in the night.

He waits a moment. Calming himself. And then he feels intense pain in his forehead. In his scar. Around him, Dark Magic moves.

GINNY: Harry. . .

HARRY: It’s fine. Go back to sleep.

GINNY: Lumos.

The room is filled with light from her wand.

HARRY

looks at her.

A nightmare?

HARRY: Yes.

GINNY: About what?

HARRY: The Dursleys — well, it started there — then it became something else.

Pause.

GINNY

looks at him — trying to work out where he is.

GINNY: Do you want a Sleeping Draught?

HARRY: No. I’ll be fine. Go back to sleep.

GINNY: You don’t seem fine.

HARRY

says nothing.

(Seeing his agitation. )

It can’t have been easy — with Amos Diggory.

HARRY: The anger I can cope with, the fact he’s right is harder. Amos lost his son because of me —

GINNY: That doesn’t seem particularly fair on yourself. . .

HARRY: — and there’s nothing I can say — nothing I can say to anyone — unless it’s the wrong thing, of course. . .

GINNY

knows what — or rather who — he’s referring to.

GINNY: So that’s what’s upsetting you? The night before Hogwarts, it’s never a good night if you don’t want to go. Giving Al the blanket. It was a nice try.

HARRY: It went pretty badly wrong from there. I said some things, Ginny. . .

GINNY: I heard.

HARRY: And you’re still talking to me?

GINNY: Because I know that when the time is right you’ll say sorry. That you didn’t mean it. That what you said concealed. . . other things. You can be honest with him, Harry. . . That’s all he needs.

HARRY: I just wish he was more like James or Lily.

GINNY(dry): Yeah, maybe don’t be that honest.

HARRY: No, I wouldn’t change a thing about him. . . but I can understand them, and. . .

GINNY: Albus is different and isn’t that a good thing. And he can tell, you know, when you’re putting on your Harry Potter front. He wants to see the real you.

HARRY: “The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. ”

GINNY

looks at him, surprised.

Dumbledore.

GINNY: A strange thing to say to a child.

HARRY: Not when you believe that child will have to die to save the world.

HARRY

gasps again — and does all he can not to touch his forehead.

GINNY: Harry. What’s wrong?

HARRY: Fine. I’m fine. I hear you. I’ll try to be —

GINNY: Does your scar hurt?

HARRY: No. No. I’m fine. Now, Nox that and let’s get some sleep.

GINNY: Harry. How long has it been since your scar hurt?

HARRY

turns to

GINNY

, his face says it all.

HARRY: Twenty-two years.

ACT ONE, SCENE TEN

THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS

ALBUS walks quickly along the train.

ROSE: Albus, I’ve been looking for you. . .

ALBUS: Me? Why?

ROSE

isn’t sure how to phrase what she has to say.

ROSE: Albus, it’s the start of the fourth year, and so the start of a new year for us. I want to be friends again.

ALBUS: We never were friends.

ROSE: That’s harsh! You were my best friend when I was six!

ALBUS: That was a long time ago.

He makes to walk away. She pulls him into an empty compartment.

ROSE: Have you heard the rumors? Big Ministry raid a few days ago. Your dad apparently was incredibly brave.

ALBUS: How do you always know about these things and I don’t?

ROSE: Apparently he — the wizard they raided — Theodore Nott, I think — had all sorts of artifacts that broke all sorts of laws including — and this has got them all gooey — an illegal Time-Turner. And quite a superior one at that.

ALBUS

looks at

ROSE

, everything falling into place.

ALBUS: A Time-Turner? Dad found a Time-Turner?

ROSE: Shh! Yes. I know. Great, right?

ALBUS: You’re sure.

ROSE: Entirely.

ALBUS: Now I have to find Scorpius.

He walks down the train.

ROSE

follows, still determined to say her piece.

ROSE: Albus!

ALBUS

turns decisively.

ALBUS: Who’s told you that you have to talk to me?

ROSE(sprung): Okay, maybe your mum owled my dad — but only because she’s worried about you. And I just think —

ALBUS: Leave me alone, Rose.

SCORPIUS

is sitting in his usual compartment.

ALBUS

enters first,

ROSE

still tailing him.

SCORPIUS: Albus! Oh hello, Rose, what do you smell of?

ROSE: What do I smell of?

SCORPIUS: No, I meant it as a nice thing, you smell like a mixture of fresh flowers and fresh — bread.

ROSE: Albus, I’m here, okay? If you need me.

SCORPIUS: I mean, nice bread, good bread, bread. . . what’s wrong with bread?

ROSE

walks away, shaking her head.

ROSE: What’s wrong with bread!

ALBUS: I’ve been looking for you everywhere. . .

SCORPIUS: And now you’ve found me. Ta-da! I was hardly hiding. You know how I like to — get on early. Stops people staring. Shouting. Writing “son of Voldemort” on my trunk. That one never gets old. She really doesn’t like me, does she?

ALBUS

hugs his friend. With fierceness. They hold for a beat.

SCORPIUS

is surprised by this.

Okay. Hello. Um. Have we hugged before? Do we hug?

The two boys awkwardly dislocate.

ALBUS: Just a slightly weird twenty-four hours.

SCORPIUS: What’s happened in them?

ALBUS: I’ll explain later. We have to get off this train.

There’s the sound of whistles from off. The train starts moving.

SCORPIUS: Too late. The train is moving. Hogwarts ahoy!

ALBUS: Then we have to get off a moving train.

TROLLEY WITCH: Anything from the trolley, dears?

ALBUS

opens a window and makes to climb out.

SCORPIUS: A moving magical train.

TROLLEY WITCH: Pumpkin Pasty? Cauldron Cake?

SCORPIUS: Albus Severus Potter, get that strange look out of your eye.

ALBUS: First question. What do you know about the Triwizard Tournament?

SCORPIUS(happy): Ooooh, a quiz! Three schools pick three champions to compete in three tasks for one Cup. What’s that got to do with anything?

ALBUS: You really are an enormous geek, you know that?

SCORPIUS: Ya-huh.

ALBUS: Second question. Why has the Triwizard Tournament not been run in over twenty years?

SCORPIUS: The last competition included your dad and a boy called Cedric Diggory — they decided to win together but the Cup was a Portkey — and they were transported to Voldemort. Cedric was killed. They canceled the competition immediately after.

ALBUS: Good. Third question: Did Cedric need to be killed? Easy question, easy answer: No. The words Voldemort said were “Kill the spare. ” The spare. He died only because he was with my father and my father couldn’t save him — we can. A mistake has been made and we’re going to right it. We’re going to use a Time-Turner. We’re going to bring him back.

SCORPIUS: Albus, for obvious reasons, I’m not a massive fan of Time-Turners. . .

ALBUS: When Amos Diggory asked for the Time-Turner my father denied they even existed. He lied to an old man who just wanted his son back — who just loved his son. And he did it because he didn’t care — because he doesn’t care. Everyone talks about all the brave things Dad did. But he made some mistakes too. Some big mistakes, in fact. I want to set one of those mistakes right. I want us to save Cedric.

SCORPIUS: Okay, whatever was holding your brain together seems to have snapped.

ALBUS: I’m going to do this, Scorpius. I need to do this. And you know as well as I do, I’ll entirely mess it up if you don’t come with me. Come on.

He grins. And then disappears ever up.

SCORPIUS

hesitates for a moment. He makes a face. And then hoists himself up and disappears after

ALBUS

ACT ONE, SCENE ELEVEN

ROOF OF THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS

The wind whistles from all angles and it’s a fierce wind at that.

SCORPIUS: Okay, now we’re on the roof of a train, it’s fast, it’s scary, this has been great, I feel like I’ve learnt a lot about me, something about you, but —

ALBUS: As I calculate it we should be approaching the viaduct soon and then it’ll be a short hike to St. Oswald’s Home for Old Witches and Wizards. . .

SCORPIUS: The what? The where? Look, I am as excited as you are to be a rebel for the first time in my life — yay — train roof — fun — but now — oh.

SCORPIUS

sees something he doesn’t want to see.

ALBUS: The water will be an extremely useful backup if our Cushioning Charm doesn’t work.

SCORPIUS: Albus. The Trolley Witch.

ALBUS: You want a snack for the journey?

SCORPIUS: No. Albus. The Trolley Witch is coming towards us.

ALBUS: No, she can’t be, we’re on top of the train. . .

SCORPIUS

points

ALBUS

in the right direction, and now he can see the

TROLLEY WITCH

, who approaches nonchalantly, pushing her trolley.

TROLLEY WITCH: Anything from the trolley, dears? Pumpkin Pasty? Chocolate Frog? Cauldron Cake?

ALBUS: Oh.

TROLLEY WITCH: People don’t know much about me. They buy my Cauldron Cakes — but they never really notice me. I don’t remember the last time someone asked my name.

ALBUS: What is your name?

TROLLEY WITCH: I’ve forgotten. All I can tell you is that when the Hogwarts Express first came to be — Ottaline Gambol herself offered me this job. . .

SCORPIUS: That’s — one hundred and ninety years. You’ve been doing this job for one hundred and ninety years?

TROLLEY WITCH: These hands have made over six million Pumpkin Pasties. I’ve got quite good at them. But what people haven’t noticed about my Pumpkin Pasties is how easily they transform into something else. . .

She picks up a Pumpkin Pasty. She throws it like a grenade. It explodes.

And you won’t believe what I can do with my Chocolate Frogs. Never — never — have I let anyone off this train before they reached their destination. Some have tried — Sirius Black and his cronies, Fred and George Weasley. ALL HAVE FAILED. BECAUSE THIS TRAIN — IT DOESN’T LIKE PEOPLE GETTING OFF IT. . .

The

TROLLEY WITCH

’s hands transfigure into very sharp spikes. She smiles.

So please retake your seats for the remainder of the journey.

ALBUS: You were right, Scorpius. This train is magical.

SCORPIUS: At this precise moment in time, I take no pleasure in being right.

ALBUS: But I was also right — about the viaduct — that’s water down there, time to try the Cushioning Charm.

SCORPIUS: Albus, this is a bad idea.

ALBUS: Is it? (He has a moment’s hesitation, then realizes the time for hesitation has passed. ) Too late now. Three. Two. One. Molliare!

He incants as he jumps.

SCORPIUS: Albus. . . Albus. . .

He looks down desperately after his friend. He looks at the approaching

TROLLEY WITCH

. Her hair wild. Her spikes particularly spiky.

Well, as fun as you clearly look, I have to go after my friend.

He pinches his nose, he jumps after

ALBUS

, incanting as he goes.

Molliare!