ACT ONE, SCENE THIRTEEN
ST. OSWALD’S HOME FOR OLD WITCHES AND WIZARDS
This is chaos. This is magic. This is St. Oswald’s Home for Old Witches and Wizards and it is as wonderful as you might hope.
Walker frames are conjured into life, knitting wool is enchanted into chaos, and male nurses are made to dance tango.
These are people relieved of the burden of having to do magic for a reason — instead these witches and wizards do magic for fun. And what fun they have.
ALBUS and SCORPIUS enter, looking around themselves, amused, and let’s face it, slightly scared.
ALBUS and SCORPIUS: Um, excuse me . . . Excuse me. EXCUSE ME!
SCORPIUS: Okay, so this place is wild.
ALBUS: We’re looking for Amos Diggory.
There is suddenly total silence. Everything is instantly still. And slightly depressed.
WOOL WOMAN: And what you boys want with that miserable old sod?
DELPHI appears with a smile.
DELPHI: Albus? Albus! You came? How wonderful! Come and say hello to Amos!
ACT ONE, SCENE FOURTEEN
ST. OSWALD’S HOME FOR OLD WITCHES AND WIZARDS, AMOS’S ROOM
AMOS looks at SCORPIUS and ALBUS — irritated. DELPHI watches the three of them.
AMOS: So let me get this straight. You overhear a conversation — a conversation which was not meant for you to overhear — and you decide — without prompting, in fact, without leave — to interfere, and interfere hard, in someone else’s business.
ALBUS: My father lied to you — I know he did. They do have a Time-Turner.
AMOS: Of course they do. You can move along now.
ALBUS: What? No. We’re here to help.
AMOS: Help? What use could a pair of undersized teenagers be for me?
ALBUS: My father proved you don’t have to be grown-up to change the wizarding world.
AMOS: So I should allow you to get involved because you’re a Potter? Relying on your famous name, are you?
ALBUS: No!
AMOS: A Potter who is in Slytherin House — yes, I’ve read about you — and who brings a Malfoy with him to visit me — a Malfoy who may be a Voldemort? Who’s to say you’re not involved in Dark Magic?
ALBUS: But —
AMOS: Your information was obvious but the confirmation is useful. Your father did lie. Now leave. The pair of you. And stop wasting my time.
ALBUS (with power and strength): No, you need to listen to me, you said it yourself — how much blood is on my father’s hands. Let me help you change that. Let me help correct one of his mistakes. Trust me.
AMOS (his voice raised): Did you not hear me, boy? I see no reason to trust you. So go. Now. Before I make you leave.
He raises his wand ominously. ALBUS looks at the wand — he deflates — AMOS has crushed him.
SCORPIUS: Come on, mate, if there’s one thing we’re good at it’s knowing where we’re not wanted.
ALBUS is reluctant to leave. SCORPIUS pulls him by the arm. He turns and they walk away.
DELPHI: I can think of one reason why you should trust them, Uncle.
They stop.
They’re the only ones volunteering to help. They’re prepared to bravely put themselves at risk to return your son to your side. In fact, I’m pretty sure they put themselves at risk even getting here . . .
AMOS: This is Cedric we’re talking about . . .
DELPHI: And — didn’t you say yourself, having someone inside Hogwarts might be a massive advantage?
DELPHI kisses the top of AMOS’s head. AMOS looks at DELPHI, and then turns to look at the boys.
AMOS: Why? Why do you want to put yourself at risk? What’s in it for you?
ALBUS: I know what it is to be the spare. Your son didn’t deserve to be killed, Mr. Diggory. We can help you get him back.
AMOS (finally showing emotion): My son — my son was the best thing that ever happened to me — and you’re right, it was an injustice — a gross injustice. If you’re serious . . .
ALBUS: We’re deadly serious.
AMOS: This is going to be dangerous.
ALBUS: We know.
SCORPIUS: Do we?
AMOS: Delphi — perhaps if you were prepared to accompany them?
DELPHI: If that would make you happy, Uncle.
She smiles at ALBUS, he smiles back.
AMOS: You do understand even getting the Time-Turner will risk your lives.
ALBUS: We’re ready to put our lives at risk.
SCORPIUS: Are we?
AMOS (gravely): I hope you have it in you.
ACT ONE, SCENE FIFTEEN
HARRY AND GINNY POTTER’S HOUSE, KITCHEN
HARRY, RON, HERMIONE, and GINNY sit, eating together.
HERMIONE: I’ve told Draco again and again — no one in the Ministry is saying anything about Scorpius. The rumors aren’t coming from us.
GINNY: I wrote to him — after he lost Astoria — to ask if there’s anything we could do. I thought maybe — as he was such a good friend to Albus — maybe Scorpius might want to stay over part of the Christmas break or . . . My owl came back with a letter containing one simple sentence: “Tell your husband to refute these allegations about my son once and for all.”
HERMIONE: He’s obsessed.
GINNY: He’s a mess — a grieving mess.
RON: And I’m sorry for his loss but when he accuses Hermione of . . . Well . . . (He looks across at HARRY.) Oi droopy drawers, like I say to her all the time, it could be nothing.
HERMIONE: Her?
RON: The trolls could be going to a party, the giants to a wedding, you could be getting bad dreams because you’re worried about Albus, and your scar could be hurting because you’re getting old.
HARRY: Getting old? Thanks, mate.
RON: Honestly, every time I sit down now I make an “ooof” noise. An “ooof.” And my feet — the trouble I’m having with my feet — I could write songs about the pain my feet give me — maybe your scar is like that.
GINNY: You talk a lot of rubbish.
RON: I consider it my speciality. That and my range of Skiving Snackboxes. And my love for all of you. Even Skinny Ginny.
GINNY: If you don’t behave, Ronald Weasley, I will tell Mum.
RON: You wouldn’t.
HERMIONE: If some part of Voldemort survived, in whatever form, we need to be prepared. And I’m scared.
GINNY: I’m scared too.
RON: Nothing scares me. Apart from Mum.
HERMIONE: I mean it, Harry, I will not be Cornelius Fudge on this one. I will not stick my head in the sand. And I don’t care how unpopular that makes me with Draco Malfoy.
RON: You never really were one for popularity, were you?
HERMIONE shoots RON a withering look as she aims to hit him but RON jumps out of the way.
Missed.
GINNY hits RON. RON winces.
Hit. A very solid hit.
Suddenly an owl is in the room. It swoops in low and drops a letter on HARRY’s plate.
HERMIONE: Bit late for an owl, isn’t it?
HARRY opens the letter. Surprised.
HARRY: It’s from Professor McGonagall.
GINNY: What does it say?
HARRY’s face drops.
HARRY: Ginny, it’s Albus — Albus and Scorpius — they never made it to school. They’re missing.