Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (24 page)

She looks at
ALBUS
, his eyes stay resistant.

No? Crucio!

ALBUS:
Stop. Please.

CRAIG
runs in, full of energy.

CRAIG BOWKER JR.:
Scorpius? Albus? Everyone’s looking for you —

ALBUS:
Craig. Get away. Get help!

CRAIG BOWKER JR.:
What’s happening?

DELPHI:
Avada Kedavra!

DELPHI
sends a blast of green light across the stage —
CRAIG
is propelled backwards by it — and is immediately
killed.

There’s a silence. A silence that seems to last for a long time.

Did you not understand? These are not childish games we are playing here. You are useful to me, your friends are not.

ALBUS
and
SCORPIUS
look at
CRAIG
’s body — their minds in hell.

It took me a long time to discover your weakness, Albus Potter. I thought it was pride, I thought it was the need to impress your father, but then I realized your weakness was
the same as your father’s: friendship. You will do exactly as you’re told, otherwise Scorpius will die, just like that
spare
did.

She looks at them both.

Voldemort will return and the Augurey will sit at his side. Just as it was prophesized. “When spares are spared, when time is turned, when unseen children murder their
fathers: Then will the Dark Lord return.”

She smiles. She pulls
SCORPIUS
viciously towards her.

Cedric is the spare, and Albus —

She pulls
ALBUS
viciously towards her.

— the unseen child who will kill his father by rewriting time and so return the Dark Lord.

The Time-Turner starts rotating. She pulls their hands to it.

Now!

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.

And then there’s a sucking noise. And a BANG.

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT, MAZE, 1995

The maze is a spiral of hedges that don’t stop moving.
DELPHI
walks determinedly through it. Behind her she drags
ALBUS
and
SCORPIUS
. Their arms bound, their legs reluctantly moving.

LUDO BAGMAN:
Ladies and gentlemen — boys and girls — I give you — the greatest — the fabulous — the one — and the
only TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT.

There’s a loud cheer.
DELPHI
turns left.

If you’re from Hogwarts. Give me a cheer.

There’s a loud cheer.

If you’re from Durmstrang — give me a cheer.

There’s a loud cheer.

AND IF YOU’RE FROM BEAUXBATONS GIVE ME A CHEER.

There’s a fulsome cheer.

DELPHI
and the boys are forced to move as a hedge closes upon them.

The French, finally showing us what they’re capable of there. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you — the final of the Triwizard tasks. A maze of mysteries, a disease
of uncontrollable darkness, for this maze — it lives. It lives.

VIKTOR KRUM
passes across the stage, moving through the maze.

And why risk this living nightmare? Because inside this maze is a Cup — and not just any Cup — yes, the Triwizard trophy stands within this vegetation.

DELPHI:
Where is he? Where is Cedric?

A hedge almost dissects
ALBUS
and
SCORPIUS
.

SCORPIUS:
The hedges want to kill us too? This gets better and better.

DELPHI:
You will keep up or face the consequences.

LUDO BAGMAN:
The perils are plentiful, but the prizes are palpable. Who will fight their way through? Who will fall at the final hurdle? What heroes do
we have within our midst? Only time will tell, ladies and gentlemen, only time will tell.

They move through the maze,
SCORPIUS
and
ALBUS
being compelled by
DELPHI
. As she moves ahead, the
boys have a chance to talk.

SCORPIUS:
Albus, we need to do something.

ALBUS:
I know, but what? She has snapped our wands, we’re bound, and she’s threatening to kill you.

SCORPIUS:
I’m ready to die if it’ll stop Voldemort returning.

ALBUS:
Are you?

SCORPIUS:
You won’t have to mourn me for long, she’ll kill me and quickly kill you too.

ALBUS
(desperate)
:
The flaw in the Time-Turner, the five-minute rule. We do all we can to run down the clock.

SCORPIUS:
It won’t work.

As another hedge changes direction,
DELPHI
pulls
ALBUS
and
SCORPIUS
in after her. They continue
through this maze of despair.

LUDO BAGMAN:
Now let me remind you of the current standings! Tied in first place — Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter. In second place
— Mr. Viktor Krum! And in third place —
sacré bleu
, Miss Fleur Delacour.

Suddenly,
ALBUS
and
SCORPIUS
emerge from behind a hedge, they’re running.

ALBUS:
Where did she go?

SCORPIUS:
Does it matter? Which way do you think?

DELPHI
rises up after them. She’s flying, and without a broom.

DELPHI:
You poor creatures.

She throws the boys to the ground.

Thinking you can escape me.

ALBUS
(astonished)
:
You’re not — even on a broom.

DELPHI:
Brooms — such unwieldy, unnecessary objects. Three minutes gone. We have two minutes left. And you will do what you’re told.

SCORPIUS:
No. We won’t.

DELPHI:
You think you can fight me?

SCORPIUS:
No. But we can defy you. If we lay down our lives to do so.

DELPHI:
The prophecy must be fulfilled. We will fulfill it.

SCORPIUS:
Prophecies can be broken.

DELPHI:
You’re mistaken, child, prophecies are the future.

SCORPIUS:
But if the prophecy is inevitable why are we here trying to influence it? Your actions contradict your thoughts — you’re dragging
us through this maze because you believe this prophecy needs to be enabled — and by that logic prophecies can also be broken — prevented.

DELPHI:
You talk too much, child. Crucio!

SCORPIUS
is racked with pain.

ALBUS:
Scorpius!

SCORPIUS:
You wanted a test, Albus, this is it, and we’re going to pass it.

ALBUS
looks at
SCORPIUS
, finally aware what he has to do. He nods.

DELPHI:
Then you will die.

ALBUS
(full of strength)
:
Yes. We will. And we’ll do so gladly knowing it’s stopped you.

DELPHI
rises up — full of fury.

DELPHI:
We don’t have time for this. Cru —

MYSTERIOUS VOICE:
Expelliarmus!

Bang.
DELPHI
’s wand is pulled away from her.
SCORPIUS
looks on in astonishment.

Brachiabindo!

And
DELPHI
is bound.
SCORPIUS
and
ALBUS
then turn as one and stare in astonishment at where the bolt
came from: a young, good-looking lad of seventeen or so,
CEDRIC
.

CEDRIC:
Come no further.

SCORPIUS:
But you’re . . .

CEDRIC:
Cedric Diggory. I heard screaming, I had to come. Name yourselves, beasts. I can fight you.

ALBUS
wheels around, astonished.

ALBUS:
Cedric?

SCORPIUS:
You saved us.

CEDRIC:
Are you also a task? An obstacle? Speak. Do I have to defeat you too?

There’s a silence.

SCORPIUS:
No. You just have to free us. That’s the task.

CEDRIC
thinks, trying to work out whether it’s a trap, and then waves his wand.

CEDRIC:
Emancipare! Emancipare!

The boys are freed.

And now I can go on? Finish the maze?

The boys look at
CEDRIC
— they are heartbroken.

ALBUS:
I’m afraid you have to finish the maze.

CEDRIC:
Then I shall.

CEDRIC
walks confidently away.
ALBUS
looks after him — desperate to say something, unsure what to say.

ALBUS:
Cedric —

CEDRIC
turns towards him.

Your dad loves you very much.

CEDRIC:
What?

Behind them,
DELPHI
’s body creeps into movement. She crawls along the ground.

ALBUS:
Just thought you should know that.

CEDRIC:
Okay. Um. Thank you.

CEDRIC
looks at
ALBUS
a moment more, and then walks on.
DELPHI
pulls out the Time-Turner from within
her robes.

SCORPIUS:
Albus.

ALBUS:
No. Wait . . .

SCORPIUS:
The Time-Turner is spinning . . . Look at what she’s doing . . . She can’t leave us behind.

ALBUS
and
SCORPIUS
both scramble to grab part of the Time-Turner.

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.

Albus . . .

ALBUS:
What have we done?

SCORPIUS:
We had to go with the Time-Turner, we had to try to stop her.

DELPHI:
Stop me? How do you think you’ve stopped me? I am done with this. You may have destroyed my chances of using Cedric to darken the world
but maybe you’re right, Scorpius — maybe prophecies can be prevented, maybe prophecies can be broken. What is undoubtedly true is: I’m done with trying to use you annoying,
incompetent creatures for anything. No more wasting precious seconds on either of you. Time to try something new.

She crushes the Time-Turner. It explodes in a thousand pieces.

DELPHI
ascends again into the air. She laughs in delight as she sets off hard away.

The boys try to chase her, but they’ve not the slightest chance. She flies, they run.

ALBUS:
No . . . No . . . You can’t . . .

SCORPIUS
turns back and tries to pick up the Time-Turner pieces.

The Time-Turner? It’s destroyed?

SCORPIUS:
Utterly. We’re stuck here. In time. Wherever in time we are. Whatever it is she’s planning to do.

ALBUS:
Hogwarts looks the same.

SCORPIUS:
Yes. And we can’t be seen here. Let’s get out of here before we’re spotted.

ALBUS:
We need to stop her, Scorpius.

SCORPIUS:
I know we do — but how?

ST. OSWALD’S HOME FOR OLD WITCHES AND WIZARDS, DELPHI’S ROOM

HARRY
,
HERMIONE
,
RON
,
DRACO
, and
GINNY
look around a
simple oak-paneled room.