SCORPIUS: That’s um — great but — what are we talking about?
POLLY CHAPMAN: The Blood Ball, of course. Who you — the Scorpion King — are taking to the Blood Ball.
SCORPIUS: You — Polly Chapman — want me to take you to a — ball?
There is the sound of screaming behind him.
What is that screaming?
POLLY CHAPMAN: Mudbloods, of course. In the dungeons. Your idea, wasn’t it? What’s going on with you? Oh Potter, I’ve got blood on my shoes again . . .
She bends and carefully cleans the blood off her shoes.
Like the Augurey insists — the future is ours to make — so here I am, making a future — with you. For Voldemort and Valor.
SCORPIUS: For Voldemort it is.
POLLY walks on, SCORPIUS looks agonized after her. What is this world — and what is he within it?
ACT THREE, SCENE THREE
MINISTRY OF MAGIC, OFFICE OF THE HEAD OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
DRACO is impressive in a way we haven’t seen. He has the smell of power about him. Flying down either side of the room are Augurey flags — with the bird emblazoned in a fascistic manner.
DRACO: You are late.
SCORPIUS: This is your office?
DRACO: You are late and unapologetic, maybe you are determined to compound the problem.
SCORPIUS: You’re Head of Magical Law Enforcement?
DRACO: How dare you! How dare you embarrass me and keep me waiting and then not apologize for it!
SCORPIUS: Sorry.
DRACO: Sir.
SCORPIUS: Sorry, sir.
DRACO: I did not bring you up to be sloppy, Scorpius. I did not bring you up to humiliate me at Hogwarts.
SCORPIUS: Humiliate you, sir?
DRACO: Harry Potter, asking questions about Harry Potter, of all the embarrassing things. How dare you disgrace the Malfoy name.
SCORPIUS: Oh no. Are you responsible? No. No. You can’t be.
DRACO: Scorpius . . .
SCORPIUS: The Daily Prophet today — three wizards blowing up bridges to see how many Muggles they can kill with one blast — is that you?
DRACO: Be very careful.
SCORPIUS: The “Mudblood” death camps, the torture, the burning alive of those that oppose him. How much of that is you? Mum always told me that you were a better man than I could see, but this is what you really are, isn’t it? A murderer, a torturer, a —
DRACO rises up and pulls SCORPIUS hard onto the table. The violence is surprising and deadly.
DRACO: Do not use her name in vain, Scorpius. Do not score points that way. She deserves better than that.
SCORPIUS says nothing, horrified and scared. DRACO reads this. He lets go of SCORPIUS’s head. He doesn’t like hurting his son.
And no, those idiots blasting Muggles, that’s not my doing, though it’ll be me the Augurey asks to bribe the Muggle Prime Minister with gold . . . Did your mother really say that of me?
SCORPIUS: She said that Grandfather didn’t like her very much — opposed the match — thought she was too Muggle-loving — too weak — but that you defied him for her. She said it was the bravest thing she’d ever seen.
DRACO: She made being brave very easy, your mother.
SCORPIUS: But that was — another you.
He looks at his dad, who looks back with a frown.
I’ve done bad things, you’ve done worse. What have we become, Dad?
DRACO: We haven’t become anything — we simply are as we are.
SCORPIUS: The Malfoys. The family you can always rely on to make the world a murkier place.
This hits home with DRACO. He looks carefully at SCORPIUS.
DRACO: This business at the school — what’s inspired it?
SCORPIUS: I don’t want to be who I am.
DRACO: And what’s brought that on?
SCORPIUS desperately thinks for a way of describing his story.
SCORPIUS: I’ve seen myself in a different way.
DRACO: You know what I loved most about your mother? She could always help me find light in the darkness. She made the world — my world, anyway — less — what was the word you used — “murky.”
SCORPIUS: Did she?
DRACO studies his son.
DRACO: There’s more of her in there than I thought.
Beat. He looks at SCORPIUS carefully.
Whatever you’re doing — do it safely. I can’t lose you too.
SCORPIUS: Yes. Sir.
DRACO looks at his son one last time — trying to understand his head.
DRACO: For Voldemort and Valor.
SCORPIUS looks at him and backs out of the room.
SCORPIUS: For Voldemort and Valor.
ACT THREE, SCENE FOUR
HOGWARTS, LIBRARY
SCORPIUS enters the library and starts desperately to look through books. He finds a history book.
SCORPIUS: How did Cedric become a Death Eater? What have I missed? Find me some — light in the darkness. Tell me your secrets. What have I missed?
CRAIG BOWKER JR.: Why are you here?
SCORPIUS turns to look at a rather desperate-looking CRAIG, his clothes tattered and worn.
SCORPIUS: Why can’t I be here?
CRAIG BOWKER JR.: It’s not ready yet. I’m working as fast as I can. But Professor Snape sets so much of it, and writing the essay in two different ways. I mean, I’m not complaining . . . Sorry.
SCORPIUS: Start again. From the beginning. What’s not ready?
CRAIG BOWKER JR.: Your Potions homework. And I’m happy to do it — grateful even — and I know you hate homework and books and I never let you down, you know that.
SCORPIUS: I hate homework?
CRAIG BOWKER JR.: You’re the Scorpion King. Of course you hate homework. What are you doing with A History of Magic? I could do that assignment too?
Pause. SCORPIUS looks at CRAIG a moment and then walks away. CRAIG exits.
After a moment SCORPIUS returns with a frown.
SCORPIUS: Did he say Snape?
ACT THREE, SCENE FIVE
HOGWARTS, POTIONS CLASSROOM
SCORPIUS runs into the Potions classroom, slamming back the door. SEVERUS SNAPE looks up at him.
SNAPE: Did no one teach you to knock, boy?
SCORPIUS looks up at SNAPE, slightly breathless, slightly unsure, slightly exultant.
SCORPIUS: Severus Snape. This is an honor.
SNAPE: Professor Snape will do fine. You may behave like a king at this school, Malfoy, but that doesn’t make us all your subjects.
SCORPIUS: But you’re the answer . . .
SNAPE: How very pleasant for me. If you’ve got something to say, boy, then please say it . . . If not, close the door on your way out.
SCORPIUS: I need your help.
SNAPE: I exist to serve.
SCORPIUS: I just don’t know what help I — need. Are you still undercover now? Are you still working secretly for Dumbledore?
SNAPE: Dumbledore? Dumbledore’s dead. And my work for him was public — I taught in his school.
SCORPIUS: No. That’s not all you did. You watched the Death Eaters for him. You advised him. Everyone thought you’d murdered him — but it turned out you’d been supporting him. You saved the world.