Albus. I promise you, there is nothing to be frightened of there.
JAMES
Apart from the Thestrals. Watch out for the Thestrals.
ALBUS
I thought they were invisible!
HARRY
Listen to your professors, don’t listen to James, and remember to enjoy yourself. Now, if you don’t want this train to leave without you, you should leap on. .
LILY
I’m going to chase the train out.
GINNY
Lily, come straight back.
HERMIONE
Rose. Remember to send Neville our love.
ROSE
Mum, I can’t send a professor love!
ROSE exits for the train. And then ALBUS turns and hugs GINNY and HARRY one last time before following after her.
ALBUS
Okay, then. Bye.
He climbs on board. HERMIONE, GINNY, RON and HARRY stand watching the train – as whistles blow up and down the platform.
GINNY
They’re going to be okay, right?
HERMIONE
Hogwarts is a big place.
RON
Big. Wonderful. Full of food. I’d give anything to be going back.
HARRY
Strange, Al being worried he’ll be sorted into Slytherin.
HERMIONE
That’s nothing, Rose is worried whether she’ll break the Quidditch scoring record in her first or second year. And how early she can take her O.W.Ls.
RON
I have no idea where she gets her ambition from.
GINNY
And how would you feel Harry, if Al – if he is?
RON
You know Gin, we always thought there was a chance you could be sorted into Slytherin.
GINNY
What?
RON
Honestly, Fred and George ran a book.
HERMIONE
Can we go? People are looking, you know.
GINNY
People always look when you three are together. And apart. People always look at you.
The four exit. GINNY stops HARRY.
Harry. . he’ll be all right, won’t he?
HARRY
Of course he will.
ACT ONE
SCENE THREE
ALBUS and ROSE walk along the carriage of the train.
The TROLLEY WITCH approaches, pushing her trolley.
TROLLEY WITCH
Anything from the trolley, dears? Pumpkin Pasty? Chocolate Frog? Cauldron Cake?
ROSE (spotting ALBUS’s loving look at the Chocolate Frogs)
Al. We need to concentrate.
ALBUS
Concentrate on what?
ROSE
On who we choose to be friends with. My mum and dad met your dad on their first Hogwarts Express you know. .
ALBUS
So we need to choose now who to be friends with for life? That’s quite scary.
ROSE
On the contrary, it’s exciting. I’m a Granger-Weasley, you’re a Potter – everyone will want to be friends with us, we’ve got the pick of anyone we want.
ALBUS
So how do we decide – which compartment to go in. .
ROSE
We rate them all and then we make a decision.
ALBUS opens a compartment door – to look in on a lonely blond kid — SCORPIUS – in an otherwise empty compartment. ALBUS smiles. SCORPIUS smiles back.
ALBUS
Hi. Is this compartment. .
SCORPIUS
It’s free. It’s just me.
ALBUS
Great. So we might just – come in – for a bit – if that’s okay?
SCORPIUS
That’s okay. Hi.
ALBUS
Albus. Al. I’m – my name is Albus. .
SCORPIUS
Hi Scorpius. I mean, I’m Scorpius. You’re Albus. I’m Scorpius. And you must be. .
ROSE’s face is growing colder by the minute.
ROSE
Rose.
SCORPIUS
Hi Rose. Would you like some of my Fizzing Whizzbees?
ROSE
I’ve just had breakfast, thanks.
SCORPIUS
I’ve also got some Shock-o-Choc, Pepper Imps and some Jelly Slugs. Mum’s idea – she says (sings), ‘Sweets they always help you make friends’ (he realises that singing was a mistake). Stupid idea probably.
ALBUS
I’ll have some. . Mum doesn’t let me have sweets. Which one would you start with?
ROSE hits ALBUS, out of sight of SCORPIUS.
SCORPIUS
Easy. I’ve always regarded the Pepper Imp as the king of the confectionery bag. They’re peppermint sweets that make you smoke at the ears.
ALBUS
Brilliant, then that’s what I’ll— (ROSE hits him again.) Rose, will you please stop hitting me?
ROSE
I’m not hitting you.
ALBUS
You are hitting me, and it hurts.
SCORPIUS’s face falls.
SCORPIUS
She’s hitting you because of me.
ALBUS
What?
SCORPIUS
Listen, I know who you are, so it’s probably only fair you know who I am.
ALBUS
What do you mean you know who I am?
SCORPIUS
You’re Albus Potter. She’s Rose Granger-Weasley. And I am Scorpius Malfoy. My parents are Astoria and Draco Malfoy. Our parents – they didn’t get on.
ROSE
That’s putting it mildly. Your mum and dad are Death Eaters!
SCORPIUS (affronted)
Dad was – but Mum wasn’t.
ROSE looks away, and SCORPIUS knows why she does.
I know what the rumour is, and it’s a lie.
ALBUS looks from an uncomfortable ROSE to a desperate SCORPIUS.
ALBUS
What – is the rumour?
SCORPIUS
The