DOLORES UMBRIDGE: Miss? Im Professor Umbridge, the headmistress of your school, Im no "Miss."

SCORPIUS: Youre the headmistress? But I . . .

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: I am the headmistress, and however important your family may be - it doesnt give you an excuse to dillydally, to mess about.

SCORPIUS: Theres a boy in this lake. You need to get help. Im looking for my friend, Miss. Professor. Headmaster. One of Hogwartss students, Miss. Im looking for Albus Potter.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: Potter? Albus Potter? Theres no such student. In fact, there hasnt been a Potter at Hogwarts for years - and that boy didnt turn out so well. Not so much rest in peace, Harry Potter, more rest in perpetual despair. Total troublemaker.

SCORPIUS: Harry Potters dead?

Suddenly from around the auditorium, the feel of a breath of the wind. Some black robes arise around people. Black robes that become black shapes. That become dementors.

Flying dementors through the auditorium. These black deadly shapes, these black deadly forces. They are everything to be feared. And they suck the spirit from the room.

The wind continues. This is hell. And then, right from the back of the room, whispering around everyone.

Words said with an unmistakable voice. The voice of VOLDEMORT . . .

Haaarry Pottttter.

HARRYs dream has come to life.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: Have you swallowed something funny in there? Become a Mudblood without any of us noticing? Harry Potter died over twenty years ago as part of that failed coup on the school - he was one of those Dumbledore terrorists we bravely overthrew at the Battle of Hogwarts. Now come along - I dont know what game youre playing but youre upsetting the dementors and entirely ruining Voldemort Day.

And the Parseltongue whispers grow louder and louder. Grow monstrously loud. And giant banners with snake symbols upon them descend over the stage.

SCORPIUS: Voldemort Day?

We cut to black.

ACT THREE, SCENE ONE.

HOGWARTS, HEADMISTRESSS OFFICE.

SCORPIUS enters the office of DOLORES UMBRIDGE. He is dressed in darker, blacker robes. He has a pensive look on his face. He remains coiled and alert.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: Scorpius. Thank you so much for coming to see me.

SCORPIUS: Headmistress.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: Scorpius, Ive thought for a long time that you have Head Boy potential, as you know. Pure-blooded, a natural leader, wonderfully athletic . . .

SCORPIUS: Athletic?

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: No need to be modest, Scorpius. Ive seen you on the Quidditch pitch, theres rarely a Snitch you dont catch. You are a highly valued student. Valued by the faculty. Valued especially by me. Ive positively glowed about you in dispatches to the Augurey. Our work together flushing out the more dilettante students has made this school a safer, purer place - SCORPIUS: Has it?

There is the sound of a scream from off. SCORPIUS turns towards it. But he dismisses the thought. He must and he will control himself.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: But in the three days since I found you in that lake on Voldemort Day, youve become . . . odder and odder. In particular, this sudden obsession with Harry Potter . . .

SCORPIUS: I dont . . .

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: Questioning everyone you can about the Battle of Hogwarts. How Potter died. Why Potter died. And this ludicrous fascination with Cedric Diggory. Scorpius, weve checked you for hexes and curses - there were none we can see - so Im asking if theres anything I can do - to restore you to what you were . . .

SCORPIUS: No. No. Consider me restored. Temporary aberration. Thats all.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: So we can continue our work together?

SCORPIUS: We can.

She puts her hand to her heart, and touches her wrists together.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: For Voldemort and Valor.

SCORPIUS (trying to copy): For - um - yes.

ACT THREE, SCENE TWO.

HOGWARTS, GROUNDS.

KARL JENKINS: Hey, Scorpion King.

SCORPIUS is high-fived, its painful, he takes it.

YANN FREDERICKS: Were still on, right, tomorrow night?

KARL JENKINS: Because we are ready to spill some proper Mudblood guts.

POLLY CHAPMAN: Scorpius.

POLLY CHAPMAN is standing on the stairs, SCORPIUS turns towards her, surprised to hear her say his name.

SCORPIUS: Polly Chapman?

POLLY CHAPMAN: Shall we cut to it? I know everyone is waiting to know who youre going to ask because, you know, you need to ask someone and Ive been asked by three people already and I know Im not alone in refusing them all. In case, you know, you were to ask me.

SCORPIUS: Right.

POLLY CHAPMAN: Which would be great. If you were interested. Which rumor is - you are. And I just want to make clear - at this moment - that I am also interested. And that isnt a rumor. Thats a - f-a-c-t - fact.

SCORPIUS: Thats um - great but - what are we talking about?

POLLY CHAPMAN: The Blood Ball, of course. Who you - the Scorpion King - are taking to the Blood Ball.

SCORPIUS: You - Polly Chapman - want me to take you to a - ball?

There is the sound of screaming behind him.

What is that screaming?

POLLY CHAPMAN: Mudbloods, of course. In the dungeons. Your idea, wasnt it? Whats going on with you? Oh Potter, Ive got blood on my shoes again . . .

She bends and carefully cleans the blood off her shoes.

Like the Augurey insists - the future is ours to make - so here I am, making a future - with you. For Voldemort and Valor.

SCORPIUS: For Voldemort it is.

POLLY walks on, SCORPIUS looks agonized after her. What is this world - and what is he within it?

ACT THREE, SCENE THREE.

MINISTRY OF MAGIC, OFFICE OF THE HEAD OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.

DRACO is impressive in a way we havent seen. He has the smell of power about him. Flying down either side of the room are Augurey flags - with the bird emblazoned in a fascistic manner.

DRACO: You are late.

SCORPIUS: This is your office?

DRACO: You are late and unapologetic, maybe you are determined to compound the problem.

SCORPIUS: Youre Head of Magical Law Enforcement?

DRACO: How dare you! How dare you embarrass me and keep me waiting and then not apologize for it!

SCORPIUS: Sorry.

DRACO: Sir.

SCORPIUS: Sorry, sir.

DRACO: I did not bring you up to be sloppy, Scorpius. I did not bring you up to humiliate me at Hogwarts.

SCORPIUS: Humiliate you, sir?

DRACO: Harry Potter, asking questions about Harry Potter, of all the embarrassing things. How dare you disgrace the Malfoy name.

SCORPIUS: Oh no. Are you responsible? No. No. You cant be.

DRACO: Scorpius . . .

SCORPIUS: The Daily Prophet today - three wizards blowing up bridges to see how many Muggles they can kill with one blast - is that you?

DRACO: Be very careful.

SCORPIUS: The "Mudblood" death camps, the torture, the burning alive of those that oppose him. How much of that is you? Mum always told me that you were a better man than I could see, but this is what you really are, isnt it? A murderer, a torturer, a - DRACO rises up and pulls SCORPIUS hard onto the table. The violence is surprising and deadly.

DRACO: Do not use her name in vain, Scorpius. Do not score points that way. She deserves better than that.

SCORPIUS says nothing, horrified and scared. DRACO reads this. He lets go of SCORPIUSs head. He doesnt like hurting his son.

And no, those idiots blasting Muggles, thats not my doing, though itll be me the Augurey asks to bribe the Muggle Prime Minister with gold . . . Did your mother really say that of me?

SCORPIUS: She said that Grandfather didnt like her very much - opposed the match - thought she was too Muggle-loving - too weak - but that you defied him for her. She said it was the bravest thing shed ever seen.

DRACO: She made being brave very easy, your mother.

SCORPIUS: But that was - another you.

He looks at his dad, who looks back with a frown.

Ive done bad things, youve done worse. What have we become, Dad?

DRACO: We havent become anything - we simply are as we are.

SCORPIUS: The Malfoys. The family you can always rely on to make the world a murkier place.

This hits home with DRACO. He looks carefully at SCORPIUS.

DRACO: This business at the school - whats inspired it?

SCORPIUS: I dont want to be who I am.