SCORPIUS: You taught us how to use the Time-Turner.
DELPHI is really upset.
DELPHI: No. I won’t let you do this . . .
ALBUS: You told your uncle to trust us. Now it’s your turn. The school is close now. We should leave you here.
DELPHI looks at them both and takes a deep breath. She nods to herself and smiles.
DELPHI: Then go. But — just know this . . . Today you get an opportunity few are given — today you get to change history — to change time itself. But more than all that, today you get the chance to give an old man his son back.
She smiles. She looks at ALBUS. She leans down and gently kisses him on both cheeks.
She walks away into the woodland. ALBUS stares after her.
SCORPIUS: She didn’t kiss me — did you notice? (He looks at his friend.) Are you okay, Albus? You look a little pale. And red. Pale and red at the same time.
ALBUS: Let’s do this.
ACT TWO, SCENE FIVE
FORBIDDEN FOREST
The forest seems to grow bigger, thicker — and amongst the trees, people searching, looking for the missing wizards. But slowly people melt away until HARRY is left alone.
He hears something. He turns to his right.
HARRY: Albus? Scorpius? Albus?
And then he hears the sound of hooves. HARRY is startled. He looks around for where the noise is coming from.
Suddenly BANE steps forward into the light. He is a magnificent centaur.
BANE: Harry Potter.
HARRY: Good. You still recognize me, Bane.
BANE: You’ve grown older.
HARRY: I have.
BANE: But not wiser. For you trespass on our land.
HARRY: I have always respected the centaurs. We are not enemies. You fought bravely at the Battle of Hogwarts. And I fought beside you.
BANE: I did my part. But for my herd, and our honor. Not for you. And after the battle, the forest was deemed centaur land. And if you’re on our land — without permission — then you are our enemy.
HARRY: My son is missing, Bane. I need help finding him.
BANE: And he is here? In our forest?
HARRY: Yes.
BANE: Then he is as stupid as you are.
HARRY: Can you help me, Bane?
There’s a pause. BANE looks down at HARRY imperiously.
BANE: I can only tell you what I know . . . But I tell you not for your benefit but for the benefit of my herd. The centaurs do not need another war.
HARRY: Neither do we! What do you know?
BANE: I’ve seen your son, Harry Potter. Seen him in the movements of the stars.
HARRY: You’ve seen him in the stars?
BANE: I can’t tell you where he is. I can’t tell you how you’ll find him.
HARRY: But you’ve seen something? You’ve divined something?
BANE: There is a black cloud around your son, a dangerous black cloud.
HARRY: Around Albus?
BANE: A black cloud that may endanger us all. You’ll find your son again, Harry Potter. But then you could lose him forever.
He makes a sound like a horse’s cry — and then makes hard away — leaving a bewildered HARRY behind. He begins to search again — now with even more fervor.
HARRY: Albus! Albus!
ACT TWO, SCENE SIX
EDGE OF THE FORBIDDEN FOREST
SCORPIUS and ALBUS round a corner to be faced with a gap in the trees . . .
A gap through which is visible . . . a glorious light . . .
SCORPIUS: And there it is . . .
ALBUS: Hogwarts. Never seen this view of it before.
SCORPIUS: Still get a tingle, don’t you? When you see it?
And revealed through the trees is HOGWARTS — a splendid mass of bulbous buildings and towers.
From the moment I first heard of it, I was desperate to go. I mean, Dad didn’t much like it there but even the way he described it . . . From the age of ten I’d check the Daily Prophet first thing every morning — certain some sort of tragedy would have befallen it — certain I wouldn’t get to go.
ALBUS: And then you got there and it turned out to be terrible after all.
SCORPIUS: Not for me.
ALBUS looks at his friend, shocked.
All I ever wanted to do was go to Hogwarts and have a mate to get up to mayhem with. Just like Harry Potter. And I got his son. How crazily fortunate is that.
ALBUS: But I’m nothing like my dad.
SCORPIUS: You’re better. You’re my best friend, Albus. And this is mayhem to the nth degree. Which is great, thumbs-up great, it’s just — I have got to say — I don’t mind admitting — I am a tiny bit — just a tiny bit scared.
ALBUS looks at SCORPIUS and smiles.
ALBUS: You’re my best friend too. And don’t worry — I have a good feeling about this.
We hear RON’s voice from off — he’s clearly in close proximity.
RON: Albus? Albus.
ALBUS turns towards it, scared.
ALBUS: But we’ve got to go — now.
ALBUS takes the Time-Turner from SCORPIUS — he presses down upon it and the Time-Turner begins to vibrate and then explodes into a storm of movement.
And with it the stage starts to transform. The two boys look at 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.