BANE: I did my part. But for my herd, and our honor. Not for you. And after the battle, the forest was deemed centaur land. And if youre on our land - without permission - then you are our enemy.

HARRY: My son is missing, Bane. I need help finding him.

BANE: And he is here? In our forest?

HARRY: Yes.

BANE: Then he is as stupid as you are.

HARRY: Can you help me, Bane?

Theres a pause. BANE looks down at HARRY imperiously.

BANE: I can only tell you what I know . . . But I tell you not for your benefit but for the benefit of my herd. The centaurs do not need another war.

HARRY: Neither do we! What do you know?

BANE: Ive seen your son, Harry Potter. Seen him in the movements of the stars.

HARRY: Youve seen him in the stars?

BANE: I cant tell you where he is. I cant tell you how youll find him.

HARRY: But youve seen something? Youve divined something?

BANE: There is a black cloud around your son, a dangerous black cloud.

HARRY: Around Albus?

BANE: A black cloud that may endanger us all. Youll find your son again, Harry Potter. But then you could lose him forever.

He makes a sound like a horses cry - and then makes hard away - leaving a bewildered HARRY behind. He begins to search again - now with even more fervor.

HARRY: Albus! Albus!

ACT TWO, SCENE SIX.

EDGE OF THE FORBIDDEN FOREST.

SCORPIUS and ALBUS round a corner to be faced with a gap in the trees . . .

A gap through which is visible . . . a glorious light . . .

SCORPIUS: And there it is . . .

ALBUS: Hogwarts. Never seen this view of it before.

SCORPIUS: Still get a tingle, dont you? When you see it?

And revealed through the trees is HOGWARTS - a splendid mass of bulbous buildings and towers.

From the moment I first heard of it, I was desperate to go. I mean, Dad didnt much like it there but even the way he described it . . . From the age of ten Id check the Daily Prophet first thing every morning - certain some sort of tragedy would have befallen it - certain I wouldnt get to go.

ALBUS: And then you got there and it turned out to be terrible after all.

SCORPIUS: Not for me.

ALBUS looks at his friend, shocked.

All I ever wanted to do was go to Hogwarts and have a mate to get up to mayhem with. Just like Harry Potter. And I got his son. How crazily fortunate is that.

ALBUS: But Im nothing like my dad.

SCORPIUS: Youre better. Youre my best friend, Albus. And this is mayhem to the nth degree. Which is great, thumbs-up great, its just - I have got to say - I dont mind admitting - I am a tiny bit - just a tiny bit scared.

ALBUS looks at SCORPIUS and smiles.

ALBUS: Youre my best friend too. And dont worry - I have a good feeling about this.

We hear RONs voice from off - hes clearly in close proximity.

RON: Albus? Albus.

ALBUS turns towards it, scared.

ALBUS: But weve got to go - now.

ALBUS takes the Time-Turner from SCORPIUS - he presses down upon it and the Time-Turner begins to vibrate and then explodes into a storm of movement.

And with it the stage starts to transform. The two boys look at it.

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.

ACT TWO, SCENE SEVEN.

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT, EDGE OF THE FORBIDDEN FOREST, 1994.

Suddenly everything is a riot of noise as a crowd consumes ALBUS and SCORPIUS.

And suddenly the "greatest showman on earth" (his words, not ours) is onstage, using Sonorus to amplify his voice, and . . . well . . . hes having a ball.

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

Theres a loud cheer.

If youre from Hogwarts. Give me a cheer.

Theres a loud cheer.

If youre from Durmstrang - give me a cheer.

Theres a loud cheer.

AND IF YOURE FROM BEAUXBATONS GIVE ME A CHEER.

Theres a slightly limp cheer.

Slightly less enthusiastic from the French there.

SCORPIUS (smiling): This has worked. Thats Ludo Bagman.

LUDO BAGMAN: And there they are. Ladies and gentlemen - boys and girls - I present to you - the reason why were all here - THE CHAMPIONS. Representing Durmstrang, what eyebrows, what a gait, what a boy, theres nothing he wont try on a broomstick, its Viktor Krazy Krum.

SCORPIUS and ALBUS (who are really getting into playing the Durmstrang students now): Go, go, Krazy Krum. Go, go, Krazy Krum.

LUDO BAGMAN: From the Beauxbatons Academy - zut alors, its Fleur Delacour!

Theres some polite applause.

And from Hogwarts not one but two students, he makes us all go weaky at the kneesy, hes Cedric Delicious Diggory.

The crowd go wild.

And then the other-you know him as the Boy Who Lived, I know him as the boy who keeps surprising us all . . .

ALBUS: Thats my dad.

LUDO BAGMAN: Yes, its Harry Plucky Potter.

Theres cheering. Particularly from a nervous-looking girl at the edge of the crowd-this is YOUNG HERMIONE (played by the same actress as plays ROSE). It is noticeable that the cheering for HARRY is slightly less than that for CEDRIC.

And now - silence please, all. The - first - task. Retrieving a golden egg. From a nest of - ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you - DRAGONS. And guiding the dragons - CHARLIE WEASLEY.

There are more cheers.

YOUNG HERMIONE: If youre going to stand so close Id rather you didnt breathe on me quite so much.

SCORPIUS: Rose? What are you doing here?

YOUNG HERMIONE: Whos Rose? And whats happened to your accent?

ALBUS (with a bad accent): Sorry. Hermione. Hes got you mixed up with someone else.

YOUNG HERMIONE: How do you know my name?

LUDO BAGMAN: And with no time to lose lets bring out our first champion - facing a Swedish Short-Snout, I give you - CEDRIC DIGGORY.

A dragon roar distracts YOUNG HERMIONE, and ALBUS readies his wand.

And Cedric Diggory has entered the stage. And he seems ready. Scared, but ready. He dodges this way. He dodges that. The girls swoon as he dives for cover. They cry as one: Dont damage our Diggory, Mr. Dragon!

SCORPIUS looks concerned.

SCORPIUS: Albus, something is going wrong. The Time-Turner, its shaking.

A ticking begins, an incessant, dangerous ticking. Its coming from the Time-Turner.

LUDO BAGMAN: And Cedric skirts left and he dives right - and he readies his wand - what has this young, brave, handsome man got up his sleevies now - ALBUS (extending his wand): Expelliarmus!

CEDRICs wand is summoned to ALBUSs hand.

LUDO BAGMAN: - but no, whats this? Is it Dark Magic or is it something else entirely? His wand is flying away - Cedric Diggory is Disarmed - SCORPIUS: Albus, I think the Time-Turner - something is wrong . . .

The Time-Turners ticking gets louder still.

LUDO BAGMAN: Its all going wrong for Diggors. This could be the end of the task for him. The end of the tournament.

SCORPIUS grabs ALBUS.

Theres a crescendo in the ticking, and a flash.

And time is turned back to the present, with ALBUS hollering in pain.

SCORPIUS: Albus! Did it hurt you? Albus, are you - ALBUS: What happened?

SCORPIUS: There must be some limit - the Time-Turner must have some kind of time limit . . .

ALBUS: Do you think weve done it? Do you think weve changed anything?