from the rest of the class.
POLLY CHAPMAN
Oh Merlin’s beard, how humiliating! He really isn’t like his father at all is he?
KARL JENKINS
Albus Potter, the Slytherin Squib.
MADAM HOOCH
Okay. Children. Time to fly.
And suddenly HARRY appears from nowhere beside ALBUS as steam expands all over the stage. We’re back on platform nine and three-quarters and time has ticked on mercilessly. ALBUS is now a year older (as is HARRY, but less noticeably).
ALBUS
I’m just asking you Dad if you’ll – if you’ll just stand a little away from me.
HARRY (amused)
Second-years don’t like to be seen with their dads is that it?
An OVER-ATTENTIVE WIZARD begins to circle them.
ALBUS
No. It’s just – you’re you and – and I’m me and—
HARRY
It’s just people looking okay? People look. And they’re looking at me, not you.
The OVER-ATTENTIVE WIZARD proffers something for HARRY to sign – he signs it.
ALBUS
At Harry Potter and his disappointing son.
HARRY
What does that mean?
ALBUS
At Harry Potter and his Slytherin son.
JAMES rushes past them carrying his bag.
JAMES
Slythering Slytherin, stop with your dithering, time to get on to the train.
HARRY
Unnecessary, James.
JAMES (long gone)
See you at Christmas, Dad.
HARRY looks at ALBUS, concerned.
HARRY
Al—
ALBUS
My name is Albus, not Al.
HARRY
Are the other kids being unkind? Is that it? Maybe if you tried making a few more friends – without Hermione and Ron I wouldn’t have survived Hogwarts, I wouldn’t have survived at all.
ALBUS
But I don’t need a Ron and Hermione – I’ve – I’ve got a friend, Scorpius, and I know you don’t like him but he’s all I need.
HARRY
Look, as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters to me.
ALBUS
You didn’t need to bring me to the station, Dad.
ALBUS picks up his case and makes hard away.
HARRY
But I wanted to be here. .
But ALBUS is gone. DRACO MALFOY, his robes perfect, his blond ponytail precisely placed, emerges from within the crowds to be beside HARRY.
DRACO
I need a favour.
HARRY
Draco.
DRACO
These rumours – about my son’s parentage – they don’t seem to be going away. The other Hogwarts students tease Scorpius about it relentlessly – if the Ministry could release a statement reaffirming that all Time-Turners were destroyed in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. .
HARRY
Draco, just let it blow over – they’ll soon move on.
DRACO
My son is suffering and – Astoria hasn’t been well recently – so he needs all the support he can get.
HARRY
If you answer the gossip, you feed the gossip. There’ve been rumours Voldemort had a child for years, Scorpius is not the first to be accused. The Ministry, for your sake as well as ours, needs to steer well clear.
DRACO frowns, annoyed, as the stage clears and ROSE and ALBUS stand ready with their cases.
ALBUS
As soon as the train leaves you don’t have to talk to me.
ROSE
I know. We just need to keep the pretence up in front of the grown-ups.
SCORPIUS runs on – with big hopes and an even bigger case.
SCORPIUS (hopeful)
Hi Rose.
ROSE (definitive)
Bye Albus.
SCORPIUS (still hopeful)
She’s melting.
And suddenly we’re in the Great Hall and PROFESSOR McGONAGALL is standing at the front, with a big smile on her face.
PROFESSOR McGONAGALL
And I’m pleased to announce Gryffindor’s newest member of the Quidditch team – our – (she realises she can’t be partial) your superb new Chaser – Rose Granger-Weasley.
The Hall erupts into cheers. SCORPIUS claps alongside them all.
ALBUS
Are you clapping her too? We hate Quidditch and she’s playing for another house.
SCORPIUS
She’s your cousin, Albus.
ALBUS
Do you think she’d clap for me?
SCORPIUS
I think she’s brilliant.
The students circle ALBUS again as suddenly a Potions class begins.
POLLY CHAPMAN
Albus Potter. An irrelevance. Even portraits turn the other way when he comes up the stairs.
ALBUS hunches over a potion.
ALBUS
And now we add – is it horn of Bicorn?
KARL JENKINS
Leave him and Voldemort’s child to it, I say.
ALBUS
With just a little salamander blood. .
The potion explodes loudly.
SCORPIUS
Okay. What’s the counter-ingredient? What do we need to change?
ALBUS
Everything.
And with that, time moves ever onwards — ALBUS’s eyes become darker, his face grows more sallow. He’s still an attractive boy, but he’s trying not to admit it.
And suddenly he’s back on platform nine and three-quarters with his dad – who is still trying to persuade his son (and himself) that everything is okay. Both have aged another year.
HARRY
Third year. Big year. Here is your permission form for Hogsmeade.
ALBUS
I hate Hogsmeade.
HARRY
How can you hate a place you haven’t actually visited yet?
ALBUS
Because I know it’ll be full of Hogwarts students.
ALBUS screws up the paper.
HARRY
Just