Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two. Дж. К. Роулинг

you think – what if I am – what if I’m put in Slytherin…

      HARRY

      And what would be wrong with that?

      ALBUS

      Slytherin is the house of the snake, of Dark Magic… it’s not a house of brave wizards.

      HARRY

      Albus Severus, you were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.

      ALBUS

      But just say…

      HARRY

      If it matters to you, you, the Sorting Hat will take your feelings into account.

      ALBUS

      Really?

      HARRY

      It did for me.

      This is something he’s never said before, it resonates around his head a moment.

      Hogwarts will be the making of you, Albus. I promise you, there is nothing to be frightened of there.

      JAMES (sharply)

      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

THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS

      ALBUS and ROSE walk along the carriage of the train. One full of dread, the other full of excitement.

      The TROLLEY WITCH approaches from the opposite direction. 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